IKN Authority Details Strategy to Reduce Stunting to 18% Towards a Golden Generation
Amid the massive physical development ongoing in Nusantara Capital City (IKN), significant non-physical challenges are emerging. The IKN Authority is now paying serious attention to the problem of stunting that still haunts the region. Based on the latest data, the prevalence of stunting in the IKN area is recorded at around 18 per cent.
Director of Basic Services at the IKN Authority, Suwito, asserted that human resource development is an inseparable part of the new capital’s grand vision. “What is visible at the moment is physical development. However, IKN is also building non-physical aspects, namely preparing the human resources who will become the next generation to continue this development,” Suwito said on Friday (12/6).
To reduce the stunting rate, the IKN Authority is implementing a collaborative strategy with various parties. This move involves local governments, community health centres (puskesmas), the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN), and the Indonesian Obstetrics and Gynaecology Association (POGI). Integrated health post (Posyandu) cadres are placed as the frontline in providing community assistance at the grassroots level.
The approach taken does not only focus on handling existing cases but is comprehensive from upstream to downstream. Prevention strategies are a top priority for the IKN Authority, with interventions carried out even before pregnancy occurs to minimise risks early on. This is based on the understanding that stunting is influenced by multidimensional factors, ranging from reproductive health to family environmental conditions.
Suwito emphasised the IKN’s ambitious goal of creating an environment free from new stunting cases. “In the future, there must be no more stunting births in IKN. This is part of the effort to prepare the generation that will continue the development of the national capital,” he stressed.
The Head of Maridan Community Health Centre, Basiran, assessed that strengthening the capacity of Posyandu cadres is a crucial investment. Cadres are the ones who interact directly with families every day. Through training involving specialist doctors from POGI, the cadres are now equipped with in-depth knowledge regarding healthy family management and healthy pregnancies.
Seminawati, a Posyandu cadre in Maridan, acknowledged that the training provided new, highly applicable insights. She hopes that similar activities will continue so that the stunting rate in the IKN area can be continuously reduced until the target is achieved.