Billions allocated to fight malnutrition

SURABAYA: East Java's provincial health office will provide Rp 21 billion to help improve the nutritional status of 243,000 children, including 14,000 who are below five years old and are suffering from malnutrition.

The head of the office, Soeharsono, was quoted by Antara as saying on Wednesday the funds, to be taken from the social safety net program for health, will be distributed through the province's integrated health posts.

The 243,000 children are scattered in 37 regencies.

"Each child suffering from severe malnutrition will be given Rp 750 a day for three months," he said, adding that pregnant women will also be given a subsidy of Rp 1,000 a day to improve their nutrition.

Since the onslaught of the economic crisis, the number of children suffering from malnutrition has risen from 0.025 percent of the population to 0.7 percent, he said.

A similar report was issued by Antara from Semarang, the capital of Central Java. Cases of marasmic kwashiorkor -- symptoms of severe malnutrition -- have been found in 23 regencies there.