RI children still malnourished: Unicef report

RI children still malnourished: Unicef report

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has done very well in promoting
education, but many of its children are still malnourished,
according to the latest Progress of Nations report issued by the
United Nations International Children's Fund (Unicef).

"Eighty-six percent of Indonesian children have completed
studies to at least the fifth grade of elementary level," Roger
Shrimpton, the acting Unicef representative for Indonesia, said
in briefing reporters about the report yesterday.

"This is 20 percent higher than the expected figure for a
country with an annual income capita of US$730," he said.

However, malnutrition is still widespread among children; 40
percent of five-year-olds are under the normal weight, and 54
percent of under-five deaths were associated with malnutrition.

Shrimpton said the high maternal death rate of 450 per 100,000
births can also be attributed to the poor condition of women's
nutrition and anemia, besides the often repeated blame placed on
dukun bayi (traditional midwives), in child bearing services.

One of the programs Unicef is currently involved in with the
government is in training midwives and dukun bayi in efforts to
reduce the maternal death rate.

Halving both the maternal death rate and deaths due to
malnutrition among under-fives, by the year 2000, are among the
goals that participating governments, including Indonesia, agreed
to in the 1990 World Summit for Children.

In cross-country comparison, Unicef places Indonesia along
with Thailand and Vietnam among countries which have virtually
eliminated severe vitamin A deficiency. However, this deficiency,
which can lead to blindness and even death, still "exists as a
public health problem" here, the report noted.

Indonesia has also progressed in its immunization coverage of
currently 90 percent of children, as well as in its fight against
measles, Shrimpton said.

But he pointed out that another challenge to Indonesia is
iodine deficiency, "as we estimate that a quarter, to a half, of
children here live in areas with a high risk of iodine
deficiency."

As it did last year, Unicef has urged the government to
immediately implement its large scale plans to add iodine to
edible salt as a protection to iodine-deficiency, which causes
mental retardation.

Shrimpton also said sanitation facilities for households
remain a problem, despite access to clean water for 62 percent of
the population as of 1993.

"Conditions have even declined," he said, adding that the base
for this evaluation is the last national social and economic
census. He acknowledged that the newly launched "Clean Friday
Movement", by the Ministry of Health, is a step in correcting
this condition.

Shrimpton stressed that Indonesia must increasingly rely on
its own resources to make necessary improvements because aid from
developed countries has declined.

A recent report released by non-governmental organizations
from 21 countries also noted a decline in aid, from 0.33 percent
in 1992, to 0.30 percent of the gross national product of
developed countries in 1993, the lowest level for 20 years.

In 1993, aid to the developing world fell by US$5 billion, the
report said, despite an agreed target of 0.7 percent from a
developed country's gross national product.

"Many countries are only giving 0.3 percent, this shows the
disturbing tendency for the level of aid to decline," Shrimpton
said.

"This is due to aid fatigue," program coordinator Daradjat
Natanagara said. Governments of developed countries "see no end"
to problems in developing nations, he added.

To assist Indonesia in its sixth five-year development plan,
Unicef has committed $144 million.

Daradjat said $74 million will be from the organization's
general resources, while another $70 million is expected from
donors. (anr)