"With our intervention, we hope we can achieve our target to reduce stunting to 14 percent or around that number," the minister said after attending the 2023 Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the 2023 Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and Regional Representative Council (DPD) in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Based on the 2020–2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) targets, the Indonesian government is aiming to reduce stunting prevalence to 14 percent. Earlier, the government managed to bring it down to 21.6 percent in 2022 from 24.4 percent in 2021.
A number of regions in Indonesia have managed to achieve a reduction in the stunting prevalence rate of 19 percent, 17 percent, and up to 8 percent, Monoarfa noted.
"However, the national average is still at 21 percent," he said.
Earlier, his party said that it will focus stunting reduction efforts in 12 priority provinces.
The 12 provinces are East Nusa Tenggara, which has a stunting prevalence of 35.3 percent, West Sulawesi (35 percent), West Nusa Tenggara (32.7 percent), West Kalimantan (27.8 percent), North Sulawesi (27.7 percent), South Kalimantan (24.6 percent), West Java (20.2 percent), East Java (19.2 percent), Central Java (20.8 percent), North Sumatra (21.1 percent), and Banten (20 percent).
To reduce stunting under the 2024 Government Work Plan (RKP), Bappenas has devised four strategies, with the first one being the provision of family assistance by the family assistance team (TPK).
The second is expanding the scope of the Provision of Supplementary Food for Pregnant Women with Chronic Energy Deficiency and Underweight Toddlers program and third, increasing the coverage of complete basic immunization.
"Complete basic immunization is related to the potential for stunting. Therefore, babies must receive basic immunization to prevent stunting," he disclosed.
The fourth strategy is strengthening the quality of surveillance data (e-Recording and Reporting Community-Based Nutrition/e-PPGBM) starting from the smallest health service unit or integrated health post (posyandu), Monoarfa added.
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Translator: M Baqir Idrus A, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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