Overcome through Cross-Sector Method and Consistently
An infant sits next to his mother on a raised walkway in front of their house in Adat village, Pulau Tiga district, Asmat regency, Papua. Dozens of infants in Asmat regency died in December 2017 from malnutrition and infectious diseases because they had not received basic immunization.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The cause of malnutrition is lack of nutritious food intake and infection. Therefore, nutritional disorders can only be overcome jointly in a cross-sector method. In addition to opening access to health services, there must also be access to food, clean water and healthy latrines.
This was disclosed by professor of nutrition science at the School of Public Health School, University of Indonesia, Endang L. Achadi, who is also a member of the Food Security Council, in Jakarta, Tuesday (29/1/2019). If there are symptoms of a decrease in nutritional status, short-and long-term efforts must be carried out. For the short-term, the health team works with local community organizations and community leaders -- if necessary there is assistance from the Indonesian Military (TNI) -- to go to the field to provide food, health services and medicines, while providing information on nutrition and healthy lifestyles. This is done repeatedly until the nutritional problem is resolved.