200,000 children in Aceh malnourished

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: A total of 200,000 children in Aceh aged under five years old are facing malnutrition because of the prolonged economic crisis and conflict, says a local official.

Haniff Asmara, deputy chief of the local health office, said the malnutrition had something to do with the fact that many mothers and their children were too poor to afford medical attention from public health centers and hospitals.

"A majority of mothers and children in the remote areas cannot afford the medical service," he said.

He said the conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and the military had also disrupted the supply of drugs and basic commodities to remote areas in the province. --Antara