Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), Hasto Wardoyo, has expressed optimism that the target of reducing stunting by 14 percent this year would be achieved."We remain optimistic until the finish," he said during a working meeting with Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) and Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on Thursday.
He made the statement in response to a question from a member of Commission IX, Arzeti Bilbina, about the stunting reduction target. Earlier, Bilbina had questioned the views of Sadikin and Wardoyo about the achievement of the stunting reduction target, considering that President Joko Widodo has said that the target would be difficult to achieve.
"The President himself has admitted that it will not be possible to achieve 14 percent," she said.
Wardoyo then outlined the efforts made by BKKBN to accelerate stunting reduction, such as collecting data on all pregnant women and toddlers, encouraging them to visit integrated health posts (posyandu), ensuring the availability of standardized anthropometric equipment at posyandus, and making sure that all posyandu cadres are skilled in carrying out standardized anthropometric weighing and measuring.
Regarding anthropometric measurements, in line with the BKKBN program, the Health Ministry is optimizing the accuracy of stunting data collected from all regions through human resources training for anthropometric measurement officers, such as midwives and posyandu cadres.
Sadikin informed that anthropometric measurements carried out by measuring officers are meant to detect stunting in children based on their body weight, length, and height, as well as upper arm and head circumference measurements.
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According to him, only around 50–60 percent of anthropometric measurement officers practice correct measurement that is in line with the standards laid down by his ministry. For example, some midwives or posyandu cadres measure a child's weight when the child is wearing a jacket.
"When measuring body weight, the person concerned cannot wear clothes or jackets," he said.