1,000 Children in Mataram Still Suffering from Stunting

As many as 1,000 children in Mataram City are still experiencing stunting. This figure is equivalent to 5.3 per cent of the total number of children in the region this year. To reduce this figure, the Mataram City Health Office (Dinkes) is now focusing interventions on children over the age of three, whose treatment is considered to be progressing slowly. “We previously dropped significantly because we pushed hard on children aged 6 months to 2 years. Now the position has started to decline significantly,” said the Head of the Mataram Health Office, Emirald Isfihan, on Thursday (11/6/2026). Emirald explained that stunting treatment is no longer solely focused on early childhood toddlers but is beginning to be directed at children over the age of 3. This age group is said to require more attention because the progress of treatment tends to be slower compared to younger age groups. “Now our intervention is for cases over 3 years old. This intervention is indeed somewhat slow. We must continue to maximise it,” he stressed. He added that overall, stunting cases reaching 5.3 per cent, or around 1,000 children, are still dominated by the toddler age group. Treatment continues because the risk range for stunting covers children from birth to the age of five. “It’s still at the figure of 1,000, we continue to intervene. Obviously, because stunting covers newborns up to 5 years old,” he said. Emirald emphasised that his party is targeting a reduction in the stunting rate in Mataram City to below 5 per cent this year. “In principle, we continue to strive to reduce the stunting rate. This year we are targeting it to be below 5 per cent. We will keep pursuing it,” he continued. To reduce stunting, the Mataram Health Office is expanding health services for pregnant women through free ultrasound (USG) examinations available at 11 community health centres in Mataram City. This step is taken to reduce risk factors from pregnancy. In addition, the Health Office is also intensifying the provision of special supplements for children experiencing stunting. This effort is expected to accelerate the decline in prevalence to below 5 per cent. Previously, based on nutritional reports on the Ministry of Health’s Sigizikesga application for 2026, Mataram City was recorded as the area with the lowest stunting prevalence in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), at 6.57 per cent. Below Mataram is West Sumbawa at 7.1 per cent, West Lombok at 9.58 per cent, Bima City at 9.49 per cent, Central Lombok at 9.99 per cent, Sumbawa at 10.70 per cent, Dompu at 12.61 per cent, Bima at 12.22 per cent, North Lombok at 14.18 per cent, and East Lombok at 22.39 per cent.