JP/5/FOOD

More people in West Nusa Tenggara die of malnutrition

Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni The Jakarta Post/Mataram

An infant has died of malnutrition in West Nusa Tenggara province, bringing to eight the number of people who have died of the affliction since January, a senior health official said on Friday.

Two of the victims were from Mataram city, five from West Lombok regency and one from Central Lombok regency, according to the spokesman for Mataram General Hospital, Rudi Syarif Iskandar.

The latest casualty was identified as Nurahmah, a 10-month-old girl from Janapria, Central Lombok regency. She died on Tuesday afternoon after being treated for a week at Mataram General Hospital, the main hospital in West Nusa Tenggara.

Hundreds of people in West Nusa Tenggara have been identified with malnutrition since January. According to government data, 338 people in four regencies and municipalities have been diagnosed with the affliction.

Malnutrition is not unknown to the province, which is ironically known as a major rice producer in the country.

In the same period last year, 822 malnutrition cases were reported in the province, though there were no deaths.

Another senior government official said the incidence of malnutrition in the province was much higher than the national rate.

"The number of infants annually affected by malnutrition in the province is 10 percent of the total infant population in the province, while the national rate is 8 percent," said the deputy chief of the West Nusa Tenggara Health Office, I Komang Gerudug.

He said this was caused by several factors, including poverty and a lack of knowledge about nutrition.

West Nusa Tenggara provincial government spokesman Lalu Gita Aryadi said the residents lack of knowledge about nutrition was to blame for the high rate of malnutrition in the province. The spokesman also placed part of the blame on the People's Welfare Movement (PKK) for failing effectively to combat malnutrition through its subdistrict service posts.

He said the PKK should be more proactive in providing nutritious food to infants to help prevent malnutrition.

The West Lombok regency administration announced on Friday it would provide free milk to designated infants in the regency. The Central Lombok regency has also set aside funds to provide free medical care for those suffering from malnutrition.

Under this program, anyone affected with malnutrition would receive Rp 3,000 (31 US cents) a day for 90 days, starting on Friday.

The high number of malnutrition cases in the province came to light on Wednesday during a meeting attended by high-ranking government officials in the province. A government official reported that dozens of people had been diagnosed with malnutrition since January and that seven people had died.

The cases have made headlines around the country, attracting the attention of the central government. Alwi Shihab, the coordinating minister for people's welfare, said the central government had dispatched a team to the province to deal with the problem.