Gov’t to Accelerate Stunting Reduction

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin at the meeting on the stunting reduction acceleration program at the Vice Presidential Palace, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (03/19), at the Vice Presidential Palace, Central Jakarta. (Photo by: BPMI Vice Presidential Secretariat)

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin Tuesday (03/19) stated that the current reduction in stunting prevalence has not yet reached the target set by the Government of 14 percent.

“Please carry out further evaluation and analysis immediately to develop and formulate corrective steps,” the Vice President said at a meeting on the stunting reduction acceleration program at the Vice Presidential Palace, Central Jakarta.

The results of the evaluation and analysis, the Vice President continued, must be input for improving future programs and strategies, so that it can shape the programs to reduce stunting more swiftly.

“We must focus on interventions that have great leverage for reducing stunting since we merely have seven months to reach the 2024 target, while the stunting target that must be reduced is still high,” Vice President Ma’ruf Amin said.

In addition, the Vice President ordered all relevant ministries/institutions to pay attention to Ministry of Health’s survey of the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey and instructed them to direct intervention programs to prevent the new occurrence of stunting.

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin also urged Ministry of Home Affairs to encourage regional heads to ensure stunting reduction in the regions can be carried out seamlessly and to coordinate with Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration to collaborate in using Village Funds to handle stunting.

“Ensure that all parties, including business entities, academics, religious institutions and non-governmental organizations to join hands to accelerate the reduction of stunting,” he remarked. (BPMI Vice Presidential Secretariat/UN) (GWH/MUR)