"Consistency in efforts to handle and prevent stunting in Indonesia must be supported by the strong political will of stakeholders at the central and regional levels," she said in a written statement received here on Tuesday.
She then quoted a statement from Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who said that the reason for the nominal reduction in stunting prevalence in 2023 was that an appropriate implementation model had not been found for several programs, in addition to the increase in the number of new stunted children.
In 2023, stunting prevalence in Indonesia declined by just 0.1 percentage point to 21.5 percent from 21.6 percent in 2022.
Moerdijat questioned the planning of stunting reduction programs in Indonesia as well as the seriousness of stakeholders in implementing those programs.
According to her, in planning stunting reduction programs, choices of several appropriate implementation methods should have been offered based on the survey conducted.
She further said that the increasing number of new stunting cases also shows that the handling of stunting in the country is not yet comprehensive.
She expressed the hope that, as part of measures to realize a superior nation, significant improvements will be made in efforts to reduce stunting because the quality of health of each of the nation's children would determine the resilience and competitiveness of the next generation.
Stunting reduction is a priority program of the Indonesian government, which is seeking to bring down stunting prevalence to 14 percent by 2024.
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Translator: Melalusa Susthira, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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