BANDUNG, Oct 17 (Bernama-ANTARA) — Indonesia’s Health Ministry has announced the rollout of Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS) tablets for pregnant women. This initiative aims to prevent underweight babies, stunting, and reduce infant mortality, according to ANTARA news agency.
Maria Endang Sumiwi, the ministry’s Director General of Public Health, explained that the MMS tablets are designed to replace the previous iron-only supplements, which contained just iron and folic acid. “The new MMS tablets include an additional nine vitamins and four minerals, benefiting the health of pregnant women,” Sumiwi said during the launch in Bandung on Thursday.
Despite a drop in anemia rates among pregnant women in Indonesia—from 48% to 27%—Sumiwi noted that the figures remain high. She hopes that the introduction of MMS tablets will further lower anemia rates and positively impact the number of low birth weight (LBW) infants and infant mortality. “The use of MMS tablets will help not only to reduce anemia but also to decrease LBW deaths,” she added.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin announced that the supplements will be provided free of charge to pregnant women for six months, with a recommended dosage of one tablet per day. “Each pregnant woman in Indonesia is estimated to need 180 MMS tablets over six months. We estimate that around 900 million tablets will be needed annually to meet the demands of pregnant women across the country,” he explained.
Sadikin aims to implement the MMS program nationwide next year, prioritizing 15 provinces with the highest rates of LBW babies. “We are starting in West Java, which has the most pregnant women. We hope that by launching this program nationally next year, we can reduce infant mortality,” he concluded.
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