Child growth disorder, known as stunting, is the main focus in achieving the 2045 Golden Indonesia. Students from the Faculty of Medicine (FM) and the Faculty of Health (FH) of Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) gained an in-depth understanding of this problem in a seminar on Friday (28/06/2024).
Dr. dr. Brian Sriprahastuti, MPH, Principal Expert of the Presidential Staff Office and Initiator of the movement called @CegahStunting, shared her knowledge about the symptoms, impacts, spread, and treatment of stunting. The seminar held in the auditorium of the I building at Udinus was opened by the Dean of FM Udinus, Dr. dr. Hendriani Selina, SpA(K). The event was attended by more than 50 students.
Dr. Hendriani Selina explained the importance of this seminar as a first step to prepare students who will later play an active role in 2045, which is predicted to be the ‘golden generation year’ for Indonesia. Moreover, she also underlined the biotechnological innovations that have been developed by Udinus, including the development of robots to detect stunting.
“One of the speakers we brought in was an expert in communication and stunting prevention. This opportunity will surely open the minds of students wide about what stunting is," explained Hendriani.
According to Dr. Brian Sriprahastuti, in order to suppress the stunting rates in Indonesia, everyone needs to play their role, because this is not only the responsibility of the government. But it also involves major contributions from universities. Academic institutions can play an important role in planning and research to address this problem. Suprihastuti also emphasized that community service by lecturers can be a significant intervention in supporting government efforts.
"Lecturers can also use this stunting case study as additional information which can be combined with lecture material so that it is not only theory but also a concrete application in handling it. Pentahelix – which involves the government, universities, business actors, the media, and non-governmental organizations – must support each other to achieve this goal," explained Sriprahastuti.
This seminar is part of a broader effort to educate and involve the younger generation in addressing the stunting problem. This public health challenge requires serious attention to achieve Golden Indonesia in 2045. (Udinus Public Relation/Alex. Photo: PR Udinus)
