Do not miss anything as an effort to alleviate stunting in Indonesia
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy has asked stakeholders to pay close attention to the handling of the first 1,000 days of life (HPK) of children.

"We must pay close attention to the first 1,000 days of life. Do not miss anything as an effort to alleviate stunting in Indonesia," he said at the “2023 National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) Coordination Meeting” in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Family development is an effort to create a quality family through the fostering of family resilience and welfare, as stated in the 2020–2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), he added.

The Family Development, Population, and Family Planning (Bangga Kencana) Program and the acceleration of stunting reduction efforts led by BKKBN are aligned and closely related to the human development cycle, so they can become basic references for development programs in the future, he said.

"The Bangga Kencana Program makes the family the backbone of development and focuses on creating a quality family," he informed.

Moreover, the intervention of the Bangga Kencana Program is very closely related to improving the quality of maternal and child health in the family. Therefore, the step taken to integrate the program to reduce stunting in all regions is appropriate, Effendy said.

According to him, the goal of the Bangga Kencana Program is in line with Human Capital Investment (HCI). In this case, good values in family, community, health, education, and social protection can be increased to realize the development of the family as the smallest unit in society.

"Human development in Indonesia cannot be carried out separately. It must be carried out in a sustainable manner starting from the upstream sector, namely 1,000 HPK to the downstream sector, the elderly community," he stressed.

Meanwhile, BKKBN head Hasto Wardoyo said that family is the main key to the success of creating a healthy and productive generation.

Exclusive breastfeeding should be continued until a child reaches the age of 6 months, and from 7 to 24 months, it must be accompanied by supplementary feeding (PMT), he added.

"We continue to educate mothers to provide exclusive breastfeeding for their babies in the first 6 months as well as nutritious PMT because these are all important for the growth and development of children in order to prevent stunting," he said.

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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma S, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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