Malnutrition threats still linger in Indonesia

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Malnutrition is still the main enemy in Indonesia despite the efforts in alleviating hunger and malnutrition. Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare, Agung Laksono, said Indonesia was determined to alleviate malnutrition.

"It is for our own future," Laksono said on Sunday.

Government will put every effort to decrease the number of malnutrition, such as monitoring the prevalence of malnutrition. According the current data, government believes that they have successfully decreased the number.

In 1989, the prevalence of malnutrition in Indonesia was less than 31 percent. Meanwhile in 2012, the number became 17.9 percent.

He said that government promoted nutritional improvement, including the program of exclusive breast-feeding, countermeasure of micronutrition through vitamin A, iron supplement and salt iodisation. "We can say that they are the keys to decrease the number of infant death toll," he said.

To speed up the achievement of Millennium Development's Goals (MDGs), Laksono asked local administration to be actively involved in eradicating malnutrition. They must have an initiative to report and handle the case.

Based on the data in Directorate of Nutrition and Mother and Child Health, every year not less than a million children suffer malnutrition. Even 45 percent of infant death are due to poor nutrition. The condition made Indonesia sit on number five of countries with the largest malnutrition case.

Minister of Health, Nafsiah Mboi, said malnutrition did not only cause problems in health sector, but also decreased the quality of human resources. "Malnutrition also threats national security," he said. For reaching the target of MDGs, government must decrease the number of malnutrition to 15 percent in 2015.