Panca Nugraha, Mataram – Malnutrition has claimed 20 lives in West Nusa Tengarra over the past six months, according to a local health office.
Malnutrition affected as many as 466 toddlers in the same period, a decrease from 1,667 cases and 52 deaths in 2007, according to data from the Mataram health office.
The office's head of health services and malnutrition, Sabar Setiawan, said that despite the decreasing number of cases, malnutrition was still a problem in the province.
Malnutrition is often accompanied by other health problems such as lung infections, diarrhea and tuberculosis, he said.
"The victims die from infections, but the root cause is malnutrition," he said.
East Nusa Tenggara is also suffering from a malnutrition epidemic, killing 23 toddlers in the past six months.
The provincial health office recorded a total of 512,400 malnutrition cases in East Nusa Tenggara with most patients still undergoing medical treatment at the public health centers, hospitals and malnutrition rehabilitation centers.
Sabar said of the 466 current cases in West Nusa Tenggara, 353 were still being treated at public health centers and hospitals and mostly have been suffering from health problems.
The data was collected from integrated health service posts, public health centers and hospitals, he said.
"Health workers and volunteers from religious and nongovernmental organizations have been deployed to distribute additional nutrition to poor families and to campaign for breast-feeding among mothers in rural areas," he said.
Besides the absence of strong support from the government to improve the people's social welfare, early marriages among young couples, poor access to health services and the increasing divorce rate have indirectly contributed to rampant malnutrition, he said.
Sabar criticized the central government for cutting the special funds allocated to handle malnutrition cases.
"The province received Rp 17 billion in 2007, Rp 14 billion in 2006 and Rp 16 billion in 2005. This year, the government decided to cut it again. We are yet to know how much the government will disburse to the province this year."
Almost all regents and municipalities in the province have complained about this policy as they have no funds to appropriately handle malnutrition cases.