BANDUNG, Oct 17 (Bernama-ANTARA) -- Indonesia's Health Ministry stated that the provision of Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS) tablets for pregnant women aims to prevent underweight babies, stunting, and infant mortality, reported ANTARA news agency.
The ministry's Director General of Public Health, Maria Endang Sumiwi, stated that the MMS tablet was designed to replace the iron-enriching tablet given earlier which only contained iron and folic acid.
"With this innovation, MMS tablets now contain an additional nine vitamins and four minerals that are beneficial for the health of pregnant women," Sumiwi remarked at the launch of MMS tablets in Bandung on Thursday.
Sumiwi pointed out that the rate of anaemia among pregnant women in Indonesia is still high, although the figure has dropped from 48 per cent to 27 per cent.
She expressed hope that with the use of MMS tablets, the rate of anaemia in pregnant women would continue to decline and have a positive impact on reducing low birth weight (LBW) babies and infant mortality.
"The result of using MMS tablet is not only to reduce anaemia but also to reduce LBW deaths in babies," she remarked.
On the same occasion, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that the supplement is offered free of charge to pregnant women for six months, with the recommended use of one tablet a day.
"Every pregnant woman in Indonesia is estimated to need 180 MMS tablets for six months. The Health Ministry estimates that around 900 million tablets are required each year to meet the needs of pregnant women throughout Indonesia," the minister explained.
Sadikin targets that the implementation of MMS provision for pregnant women next year will be carried out nationwide with priority in 15 provinces that have the highest cases of LBW babies.
"We start in West Java because the province has the most (number of) pregnant women. We hope that if this is launched nationally, starting next year, it can reduce infant mortality," Sadikin stated.
--BERNAMA-ANTARA
