Nine babies under five die from malnutrition in E. Nusa Tenggara
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 09/23/2010 2:38 PM
Not enough: In this Oct. 21, 2009 file photo a malnourished child prepares for an intensive treatment at ahospital in Ba’a, Rote Ndao, in East Nusa Tenggara. – JP/Yemris Fointuna
At least nine babies under five years old died due to
malnutrition in East Nusa Tenggara in the first quarter of this year.
“The nine babies under five years old died in the first
three months of this year,” East Nusa Tenggara Vice Governor Esthon Foenay said
in Kupang on Thursday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
Nearly 10.6 percent out of 506,352 babies under five years
old in East Nusa Tenggara or 53,674 have been suffering from undernourishment,
according to data at the local provincial administration.
Esthon said that the fight against problem of malnutrition
in his province has not worked as well as expected because it deals with health
problem which cannot be easily done through medical approaches or health
services.
“The local administration cannot be able to handle the
problem by itself without the active participation of the community,” he said,
urging the local people to work hand in hand with the regional government.
