South Kalimantan Family assistance team inaugurated, to reduce stunting

Kandangan, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The government of South Kalimantan has inaugurated the Family Assistance Team (TPK) throughout the province on a mission to reduce stunting rates.

All districts and cities' TPK virtually attended the inauguration through zoom meeting, including South Hulu Sungai (HSS) District, at the Population Control, Family Planning, Women Empowerment and Child Protection (PPKBPPPA) Agency here.

"This inauguration is carried out in an effort to build solidity between the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) and the regional government for cooperation in accelerating efforts to prevent stunting in children," said the South Kalimantan Regional Secretary Roy Rizali Anwar when giving his inaugural address, Thursday (Dec 16, 2021).

Head of South Kalimantan BKKBN Ramlan said that currently, South Kalimantan is in the 10th largest number of stunting cases in children, although cases in the regions are decreasing from year to year.

The stunting rate in the province reaches 31.7 percent or one in three children suffers from stunting, whereas the central government has set a target to reach 14 percent by 2024.

Meanwhile, Head of HSS PPKBPPPA Agency Ermansyah said that TPK was just established in 2021. "In HSS itself there are 210 TPK, the members come from elements of the village midwife, village, PKK, and KB counselor. Based on the needs and population, one village can have more than one TPK," he said.

The target of the team's work will be in stages, beginning from prospective brides, pregnant women, new mothers giving birth, to mothers who have toddlers aged 2-5 years.

Also attending to represent the Regent of HSS was Expert Staff for Development and Community Administration H. Tajiddin Noor, who attended the inauguration from the Media Center of the HSS Secretariat.