Malang, (malangkota.go.id) – The Malang City Health Service (Dinkes) through health centers spread across Malang City has attempted to minimize the number of anemia by providing blood-boosting tablets (TTD), as done by the Pandanwangi Health Center. The health center distributed TTD to 16 junior high schools/MTs and senior high schools/vocational schools within its working area, Friday (26/8/2022).
There are around 2.200 female students from 16 schools who will receive TTD. Pandanwangi Health Center distributed 37.064 TTD pills to be consumed for 3 months. Head of Pandanwangi Health Center, dr. Sri Purwani said that the provision of TTD to young women is to prevent anemia.
“TTD is important for women of childbearing age to consume. Well, these young women are already in the childbearing age category. So giving TTD is intended to prevent iron anemia. Which later when they have entered the pregnancy period, they will not experience anemia. Because if anemia occurs during pregnancy, it will endanger the fetus and also the pregnant woman herself. So it is very important to consume TTD every week,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Principal of SMP Negeri 14 Malang, Umi Kulsum was very enthusiastic about receiving the TTD for her students. "Alhamdulillah, the Health Office provided supplements, because our students really need these supplements. Children of this age may have just menstruated, sometimes they are anemic or whatever. Hopefully, by consuming these supplements, they can be fitter, not weak even though they are menstruating so they can follow the learning process well," she said.
For your information, anemia is one of the public health problems in Indonesia that can be experienced by all age groups ranging from toddlers, teenagers, pregnant women to the elderly. Reported from promkes.kemkes.go.id, menstruation experienced by adolescent girls often has the potential to cause anemia, a condition in which red blood cells or hemoglobin concentrations in them are lower than usual. So that the body becomes more easily weak and easy to faint. Anemia also causes adolescent girls to experience various conditions such as decreased immunity, decreased concentration in learning, decreased achievement in school, and decreased fitness and productivity.
Seeing these conditions, efforts to provide TTD become important to be given to adolescent girls in their growth process. In addition to minimizing the potential for anemia that affects health and achievement in school today, the provision of iron tablets is also to prepare the health of adolescent girls before becoming mothers. The provision of TTD to adolescent girls is to prevent mothers from giving birth to babies with short bodies (stunting) or low birth weight (LBW).
With regular consumption of TTD, it is expected to reduce the potential for anemia and the birth of babies in a state of stunting from mothers in Indonesia, so that the creation of a young generation and a healthy and competitive next generation can be formed optimally. (ari/ram)
