He also asked them to contact the Health Ministry for directions on the next steps for procuring such equipment.
"The PMK Ministry expects that, within the next few months, all 100 percent of puskesmas (public health centers) will have adequate standardized ultrasound and anthropometric equipment," he said in a statement released on Friday.
Ultrasound machines are important for monitoring fetal development in the womb, he noted.
"The goal is for early detection in case there are problems during the pregnancy period so that they can be handled immediately," he added.
Anthropometric tools would be beneficial for improving the accuracy of infant growth measurements to help detect stunting cases early, he explained.
Thus, procuring both types of equipment is expected to support the stunting reduction effort based on the target set by the government, he said.
"We expect that, in the future, ultrasound's function can be optimized more toward pregnant mothers because if various problems since pregnancy can be detected, stunting prevention effort can be done early," he added.
The minister also stressed the importance of preventing stunting by ensuring balanced nutrition for pregnant mothers.
"The government continues to remind (people regarding) the importance of fulfilling balanced nutrition rich in animal proteins, including for pregnant mothers, to prevent stunting since pregnancy," he said.
Pregnant women also need to undertake routine womb examinations, especially using ultrasound.
According to the Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) result, the stunting prevalence in Indonesia declined to 21.6 percent in 2022 from 24.4 percent in 2021.
"The government is aiming to have stunting prevalence decline to 14 percent by 2024," Effendy said.
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Translator: Wuryanti P, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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