"This approach can be a reference for other districts and cities in Indonesia," he remarked during a dialogue with Klungkung District Head I Made Satria at the 2025 National Coordination Meeting on Stunting Alleviation Acceleration in Jakarta on Wednesday.
On the occasion, Gibran praised Klungkung's remarkable achievement and encouraged Satria to share his administration’s best practices in combating stunting with other regional leaders.
Responding to the vice president, Satria said his government has focused on educating the youth about sexuality and reproductive health to discourage marriage among school-aged children.
He elaborated on the district’s flagship initiative, the We Are Ready to Get Married program, which promotes female teenagers’ health through the regular consumption of blood-boosting tablets.
"Under this program, we persuade girls to take the tablets, as we know their fishy taste can discourage them. This way, we aim to help young women maintain good health as future mothers," he explained.
Satria noted that his administration also collaborates with various parties to strengthen stunting reduction efforts, including the Ministry of Religious Affairs, traditional villages, and Family Empowerment and Welfare (PKK) teams.
"We are working hand in hand to implement various measures, such as education for pregnant women and improving the nutritional intake of toddlers," he said, adding that stunting prevalence has dropped sharply from 19.4 percent in 2021 to 5.1 percent this year.
He further reported that public participation in health screening at community health posts has increased significantly, reflecting stronger awareness of preventive healthcare.
"Our plan is to focus more on prevention to eliminate stunting cases entirely," he concluded, drawing a round of applause from the audience.
In addition to Klungkung, other districts in Bali also recorded lower stunting rates than the national average of 19.8 percent, with Gianyar at 5.4 percent and Badung at 7.2 percent.
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Translator: Andi F, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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