Poverty, malnutrition on rise in Samarinda<\/p>\n
Rusman
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Samarinda<\/p>\n
The son of Madurese migrants living in East Kalimantan's capital
\nof Samarinda is skinny, his stomach distended. The three-year-old
\nboy, Syaiful, weighs less than nine kilograms.<\/p>\n
"Staff at the integrated health post (posyandu) said that our
\nson is undernourished, and he's now suffering from diarrhea,"
\nRasiyem, 32, said in the family's small rented house in a dense
\nand dirty neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Her husband, Hasan, 35, supports the family by selling satay
\nbut his earnings are not enough to provide his son with
\nnutritious food.<\/p>\n
Despite their son's distressing condition, economic hardship
\nhas meant the couple has put their son's fate in God's hands.<\/p>\n
"We cannot afford to bring our son to the health post any
\nmore, let alone the hospital. Our earnings are just enough to
\neat, day by day," Hasan said.<\/p>\n
Hasan's family is one of the thousands of families that are
\nfacing malnutrition in East Kalimantan, a province rich in coal,
\ntimber, oil and gas but plagued by poverty and inequality.<\/p>\n
The provincial health office has identified 174 cases of
\nmalnutrition in under fives children as of May. The largest
\nnumber of cases were found in Balikpapan, with 81 out of 56,000
\nchildren, and in Kutai Kartanegara with 59 cases, out of 63,000
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
However, the office estimates the actual number of sufferers
\nis far higher, up to 27,000 children so far this year, or 7.5
\npercent of the estimated 360,000 children in the province.<\/p>\n
Despite the recent media focus, the office data shows
\nmalnutrition has been a constant in the province and is
\nincreasing year-by-year as conditions deteriorate for the poor.
\nIn 2004, the number of malnourished children was estimated at
\n33,000, or around 9.1 percent, while in 2003, only 24,500
\nundernourished children were recorded.<\/p>\n
And while the province, with an annual revenue of Rp 2.65
\ntrillion, is comparatively rich by national standards, more than
\n320,000 or 11 percent of its population were classified as poor
\nin 2003, increasing to 330,000 last year. Coupled with the
\nprovince's steadily increasing gross domestic product, from 98.43
\ntrillion in 2003 to Rp 104.4 trillion in 2004, the figures paint
\na picture of increasing poverty and inequality in the province.
\nOffice data shows rates of illnesses from preventable diseases
\nincluding dengue and dysentery are also on the rise.<\/p>\n
"The number of estimated malnutrition cases in East Kalimantan
\nin 2005 has already probably reached 27,000 based on the data
\nobtained from the annual survey. But only 174 cases have been
\nidentified and followed up," East Kalimantan Health Office head
\nAndi Madjid said.<\/p>\n
Thirteen regions in the province were prone to malnutrition,
\nAndi said. Indicators showed that poor diet and poverty often
\ncaused by crop failures had contributed to the significant number
\nof malnutrition cases in the province.<\/p>\n
"Some of the factors are a lack of awareness of nutrition and
\nthe inability to provide a balanced diet, especially for poor
\nfamilies that cannot afford to provide their children with the
\nproper nutrients," said Andi.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the assistant to the social affairs department at
\nthe provincial administration, Nursyirwan Ismail, said poor or
\nnon-existent health care and a lack of infrastructure were also
\ncauses. The government, he added, was making efforts to mitigate
\nthe problems, although he admitted less funds for health had
\nnutrition had been allocated this year.<\/p>\n
Nursyirwan said increasing migration to the area was the most
\nsignificant cause of malnutrition, which he said was further
\nstretching already underfunded facilities.<\/p>\n
"The social problems here are likely to continue increasing
\nbecause since entering the autonomy era, poor and unskilled
\nmigrants have kept coming here trying to make a living. This is
\nthe biggest problem."<\/p>",
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