Govt vows to strengthen malnutrition programs<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health and Social Welfare Achmad
\nSujudi called on provincial authorities to develop the Family
\nImprovement Nutrition Program (UPGK) to reduce the number of
\nmalnutrition cases across the country.<\/p>\n
\"Currently there are some 800 million people suffering from
\nmalnutrition worldwide, 200 million of whom are children under
\nfive years of age,\" Achmad told a meeting of some 60 UPGK
\nofficials from 17 provinces in commemoration of the 20th World
\nFood Day enacted by the FAO here on Monday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, however, is home to eight million people who suffer
\nfrom malnutrition, one million of whom are in a chronic
\ncondition, Achmad said.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore we have no choice but to start revitalizing and
\nrehabilitating the quality of diet by introducing a nutrition
\nprogram directly to the subdistricts,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia named this year's Food Day theme as \"Food Supplies
\nto Fight Hunger\", while FAO chose the theme \"A millennium Free
\nfrom Hunger\".<\/p>\n
UPGK's three main programs consist of counseling, nutrition
\nservices in the Posyandu (Integrated Health Community Post) and
\nthe utilization of residential properties to plant vegetables and
\nherbs used for medicinal purposes.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that if the program works, in the long run we will
\nhave 80 percent of Indonesian families who are already aware of
\nhealthy, proper and nutritious diets,\" Achmad said.<\/p>\n
\"The operational target by the UPGK program is all babies
\nunder five years of age and the continuous monitoring on their
\nnutrition, weight, as well as their mothers and pregnant women,\"
\nAchmad said.<\/p>\n
In the ceremony on Monday, the ministry awarded several
\nregency and subdistrict officials from 17 provinces for their
\nremarkable efforts in developing the program.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that the program can further eradicate illnesses
\nrelated to malnutrition such as lack of Vitamin A which leads to
\npoor eye sight, anemia, and lack of iodine,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The FAO expected that the number of people suffering from
\nmalnutrition worldwide will drop to 400 million by 2015.<\/p>\n
\"Here in Indonesia we hope to reduce the number (of eight
\nmillion people with malnutrition) a lot faster since our
\ncondition is not as bad as in Africa or other developing
\ncountries,\" Minister Achmad said.<\/p>\n
He said the main problem here is not the food supplies but the
\npurchasing power of people.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, we have to empower the people from the very
\nbottom, that is from villages and subdistricts.\" (09\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-vows-to-strengthen-malnutrition-programs-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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