Malnutrition strikes C. Sulawesi infants

PALU, Central Sulawesi (JP): About 70,000 under-fives are suffering from malnutrition in the province.

"Tens of thousands of Central Sulawesi toddlers are susceptible to malnutrition due to their substandard nutritional intake," Antara quoted secretary of the National Movement for Food and Nutrition, Mularso, as saying here on Sunday.

Mularso said the community's weakened purchasing power was the cause of the inadequate nutritional consumption.

He also noted that the worst cases of malnutrition were found in infants living in remote areas which were difficult for medical personnel to reach.

"The Ministry of Health has allocated Rp 5.24 billion for Central Sulawesi to overcome the food and nutrition problems," Mularso said in explaining the steps taken to anticipate the worsening situation.

He said Rp 3.69 billion would be allocated to provide better nutrition, with the remainder to be used to refurbish community health posts, he stated. (05)