Millions of children may be stunted: Sujudi
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Sujudi said four million children under the age of five may be stunted because their basic life needs are not being met.
"These children are facing problems which may affect their cognitive, affective and social development," he told the National Congress of Pediatrics in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.
According to 1994 Unicef data, Indonesia has 21.7 million children under the age of four.
The minister was quoted by Antara as saying on Friday that many of the children's parents suffer from problems induced by the high stress of industrialization and urbanization.
"In this era, many of people's needs are not being met, neither in quantity nor quality. This creates psychosocial problems such as juvenile delinquency and drug abuse," Sujudi said.
He underlined the importance of the first 18 years of an individual's life.
"If any developmental tasks during this period are disturbed, then this person's quality as an adult will be affected," he argued.
The minister suggested that parents take time off to pay more attention to their children's basic needs by creating a loving environment as well as providing a healthy diet, medical care and education. "Only then can the children achieve their optimum growth," Sujudi argued.
Separately, State Minister of Population Haryono Suyono once again called on the public to provide funds to send children to school.
President Soeharto inaugurated the National Foster Parents Movement on May 29, in Demak, Central Java, by pledging to take care of 100,000 children in need of financial assistance.
Soeharto said there are currently six million children who are too poor to afford schooling. Of these, 400,000 need immediate care, he said.
Haryono said the foster parent program is part of the commemoration of Children's Day on July 23. President Soeharto will lead the celebration which will be attended by 25,000 children. There will be 1,000 children from the remote areas of Indonesia and neighboring countries. (31)