Malnutrition threatens Java's children

Malnutrition threatens Java's children

By Haryoso

SEMARANG (JP): Community health centers in the Purbalingga
regency are overwhelmed by a stream of under five-year-olds
admitted with symptoms of malnutrition. Health authorities have
reported 190 children are seriously undernourished and receiving
medical treatment.

At least one child under the age of five reportedly died in
Sidorejo village.

"When the child died, no one was there. The mother on the
verandah was not aware her child was dying. She thought the child
was fast asleep," said Hartono, 36, a neighbor of the family.

Dr. Tamsu Darsasaputra, a pediatrician at Purbalingga general
hospital, said most of the malnourished children were admitted in
a critical condition and were receiving intensive medical
treatment.

He recalled treating several seriously sick children who were
"lumps of skin and bone", one of them a two-year-old from
Sidorejo village.

"We told the child's relatives the medical service was free
of charge. But before the child recovered, (the family) secretly
checked (the patient) out. We heard the patient died several days
later."

The Purbalingga government has embarked on a health campaign
on nutrition, food supplements and treatment of malnourished
children. In addition, it has distributed packages of food to
poor families. The package contains sugar, rice flour, egg,
ground nut oil, biscuits, margarine and milk.

Most of the malnourished children come from poor families,
such as blue collar workers who lack nutritional knowledge.

"Some of them sold the government food package to buy cheaper
food instead of giving it to their children," said Tamsu.

Subowo, a health expert from Diponegoro University and member
of the provincial legislative council responsible for social
welfare, emphasized the nutrition crisis affects all regencies in
Central Java. He estimated the number of underfed children to be
in the "thousands".

Hardest hit regencies are those along the north coast: Tegal,
Brebes, Pekalongan, Pemalang, Batang, Kendal, Demak, Purwodadi
and Rembang.

Subowo suggested the government make every effort to overcome
the food crisis among five-year-olds, including collecting
donations from the wealthy.

Quoting a statistic released by the Indonesian office of
Unicef, Subowo predicted the deepening economic crisis may cause
up to 50 percent of Indonesian children to suffer from
malnutrition.

"Based on this information, we predict the future younger
generation will be inferior."

There are widespread fears malnutrition will cause an abrupt
hike in the infant mortality rate in Central Java, which
currently stands at 55 per 1,000 births. Tuberculosis and other
infectious diseases are also expected to ravage the young.

As the economic crisis continues, the maternity death rate is
also predicted to rise because less mothers can afford to give
birth in the safety of clinics and will turn to traditional
midwives.

Separately, nutritionist Ali Khomsan of the Bogor Agricultural
Institute said Indonesia is not experiencing a food shortage but
a great number of people were suffering from malnutrition because
their purchasing power had substantially dropped.

Poor people could no longer afford nutritious food because of
the plummeting value of their money. So severe is their financial
problem that their children's education is ignored, he said.

"With a combined poor nutrient intake and poor education,
future human resources will be in crisis.

"Indonesians will be shorter as will be their life
expectancy."

He said those suffering nutritional deficiencies from
conception would have a smaller brain with up to 25 percent to 40
percent less cerebral cells than well nourished children.

The poor children will constitute Indonesia's "lost
generation". It is estimated that between 10 years to 20 years
will be needed before Indonesian people retain their precrisis
nutritional status.