Marasmus found in Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Looking pale, Rahmatulloh, a two-and-a-half-year old boy who is
\nafflicted with marasmus, or extreme malnutrition lies helplessly
\nin his hospital bed at the Koja public hospital in North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
All he can do is cry, asking for his father, Junaidi, to carry
\nhim in his arms.<\/p>\n
Weighting only five kilograms, which is far from the ideal 15
\nkilograms for a toddler his age, Rahmatulloh also has
\ntuberculosis and anemia, both a result of a severe lack of
\nnutrition.<\/p>\n
\"Ever since he was born, he rarely eats rice. Not even
\nporridge. He also never consumed breast milk from his late
\nmother,\" Junaidi told The Jakarta Post at the hospital on Friday.<\/p>\n
Rahmatulloh is not the only son of Junaedi who is receiving
\nmedical care. Three-and-a-half-year-old Abdul Mu'in is also being
\ntreated at the hospital for malnutrition.<\/p>\n
Rahmatulloh and Abdul Mu'in are just two of 12 severely
\nmalnourished children in Jakarta. According to City Health Agency
\nhead Abdul Chalik Masulili, there are some 8,450 undernourished
\nchildren in the capital.<\/p>\n
Currently, Koja hospital is treating six undernourished
\nchildren, who came from across the North Jakarta municipality.<\/p>\n
Junaidi, who earns a living by working as a port laborer,
\nlives with his eight children in a five-by-three meter plywood
\nshanty in the Penjaringan District, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He initially had 11 children, but lost three of them to
\ndisease.<\/p>\n
His children lost their mother six months ago, leaving him as
\nthe sole parent to take care of his eight children.<\/p>\n
\"He has too many children, and their ages are too close. Their
\nhouse is too small and dirty for his children to live in,\" said
\nhis neighbor, Putut Sunyoto.<\/p>\n
Junaidi's eldest child is Nurdin, 14 and the rest are Dodi,
\n13, Nawawi, 10, Maesaroh, nine, Yusuf, eight, Mutmainah, five,
\nAbdul Mu'in, three and Rahmatulloh, two years and six months.<\/p>\n
Junaidi acknowledged that since his wife's death, his
\nchildren's health has continued to deteriorate as they didn't
\nhave someone to prepare them nutritious meals anymore.<\/p>\n
Dodi, who quit school after his mother passed away, said that
\nhis little brothers had difficulty eating even though he cooked
\nfor them every day.<\/p>\n
\"I cook one liter of rice and serve two fried milk fish almost
\nevery day,\" Dodi told The Post at his house in Penjaringan.<\/p>\n
Darma Diyani, a volunteer at the integrated service post
\n(Posyandu) near Junaidi's house, said that Junaidi's health
\nawareness was more a cause of his children's illness than
\neconomic hardship.<\/p>\n
\"The Posyandu is just five meters away. But he refuses to have
\nhis children immunized or to have them examined. When his wife
\nwas alive, he also refused to use contraceptives,\" Diyani said,
\nadding that the other 200 children under five living in the
\ncommunity unit were in good health.<\/p>\n
Junaidi admitted that he refused to use contraceptives because
\nhe believed that it was against his religion, but he admitted
\nthat he should pay more intention to his children's daily
\nnutritional needs.<\/p>\n
\"After my sons are cured, I promise to be more careful in
\ntaking care of their health,\" said Junaidi. (006)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/marasmus-found-in-jakarta-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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