SABAKOTA.ID – The West Java Provincial Government is targeting a reduction in stunting, or growth failure in children under five, to 19% in 2023 and 14% in 2024 in this province.
Speaking in front of 1,592 prospective students of Widyatama University participating in the University Introduction Program (PPU) for the 2022-2023 academic year in Bandung on Wednesday (24/08), Head of Bappeda West Java, H. Sumasna, explained that stunting is a condition of growth failure and recurrent infections that occur in children under five due to chronic malnutrition, which reached 23% in West Java in 2022.
According to the Head of Bappeda Jabar, based on statistical data, the population of West Java currently stands at 48,274,162 people, or 20% of Indonesia’s total population, making it the province with the largest population in the country.
“So if we solve the problems in West Java, whether it be stunting, poverty, or unemployment, then we will have solved 20% of Indonesia’s population issues,” said Sumasna.
He added that to address the increasing number of stunting cases, the government continues to prepare supplementary food programs for children who are potentially suffering from stunting through good and nutritious food intake.
Therefore, Sumasna greatly appreciates the steps taken by Widyatama University in paying attention to the importance of socializing government programs in the “zero stunting” movement, especially in West Java Province, to prospective new students.
“I am from Bappeda, part of the stunting reduction team in West Java, and I am very happy and deeply grateful to Widyatama University because this is the first time we have received a response from a university to explain what stunting is,” he explained.
“The zero stunting movement is the responsibility of all of us, both the government and the private sector. Stunting itself will cause long-term economic losses for the country,” he added.
In another part of his presentation, the Head of West Java Bappeda also said, “If children are born with stunting, their health service needs may be more intensive than children who do not suffer from stunting.”
