The health of 25 million toddlers across the archipelago is at risk as the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted services provided by the integrated health services posts (Posyandu), according to data from the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI).
The disruption had caused millions of children to lose access to regular immunization, vitamin A supplementation and developmental monitoring and screening, IDI chairman Daeng M. Faqih said.
He has urged Posyandu to continue operating as usual amid the pandemic to prevent long-term health effects on the children.
“The health effects felt by the children would also result in a huge financial loss for their families, regions and the country in the short or long run,” Daeng said as reported by tribunnews.com.
Recent data from the Health Ministry revealed that 89.3 percent of basic services provided by Posyandu could not be optimally carried out during the pandemic, making many pregnant women unable to get sufficient prenatal care.
Daeng further said the regional administrations should prioritize basic health care for children and pregnant women through Posyandu.
“Based on the World Health Organization's recommendation, the country should ensure residents can still access essential health services [amid the pandemic],” he said.
In early September, KawalCOVID-19, a volunteer group that independently records virus case numbers and deaths in Indonesia, reported that Indonesia was among the countries with the highest COVID-19 death rate among children.
KawalCOVID-19 cofounder Ainun Najib said that, according to national COVID-19 task force data, the case fatality rate (CFR) among Indonesian children aged 0-17 years was 0.9 percent, surpassing the United States, the country worst-hit by the pandemic, which has a CFR among children of 0.02 percent.
“That means that 145 of 16,007 infected children of the age group have died,” Ainun said. (nal)