Govt vows to strengthen malnutrition programs

Govt vows to strengthen malnutrition programs

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health and Social Welfare Achmad
Sujudi called on provincial authorities to develop the Family
Improvement Nutrition Program (UPGK) to reduce the number of
malnutrition cases across the country.

"Currently there are some 800 million people suffering from
malnutrition worldwide, 200 million of whom are children under
five years of age," Achmad told a meeting of some 60 UPGK
officials from 17 provinces in commemoration of the 20th World
Food Day enacted by the FAO here on Monday.

Indonesia, however, is home to eight million people who suffer
from malnutrition, one million of whom are in a chronic
condition, Achmad said.

"Therefore we have no choice but to start revitalizing and
rehabilitating the quality of diet by introducing a nutrition
program directly to the subdistricts," he said.

Indonesia named this year's Food Day theme as "Food Supplies
to Fight Hunger", while FAO chose the theme "A millennium Free
from Hunger".

UPGK's three main programs consist of counseling, nutrition
services in the Posyandu (Integrated Health Community Post) and
the utilization of residential properties to plant vegetables and
herbs used for medicinal purposes.

"We hope that if the program works, in the long run we will
have 80 percent of Indonesian families who are already aware of
healthy, proper and nutritious diets," Achmad said.

"The operational target by the UPGK program is all babies
under five years of age and the continuous monitoring on their
nutrition, weight, as well as their mothers and pregnant women,"
Achmad said.

In the ceremony on Monday, the ministry awarded several
regency and subdistrict officials from 17 provinces for their
remarkable efforts in developing the program.

"We hope that the program can further eradicate illnesses
related to malnutrition such as lack of Vitamin A which leads to
poor eye sight, anemia, and lack of iodine," he added.

The FAO expected that the number of people suffering from
malnutrition worldwide will drop to 400 million by 2015.

"Here in Indonesia we hope to reduce the number (of eight
million people with malnutrition) a lot faster since our
condition is not as bad as in Africa or other developing
countries," Minister Achmad said.

He said the main problem here is not the food supplies but the
purchasing power of people.

"Therefore, we have to empower the people from the very
bottom, that is from villages and subdistricts." (09/edt)