Jakarta, July 1 -- The Indonesian government has called on the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to improve nutrition for pregnant women in an effort to reduce stunting, noting that two key interventions still fall short of targets.

During a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the two main measures are: ensuring pregnant women take iron supplements (blood tablets) and providing additional nutrition to those with chronic energy deficiency.

While the government aims to provide iron supplements to 65 percent of pregnant women, only 15.5 percent have received them so far. Additionally, only 40.7 percent of pregnant women with chronic energy deficiency have received extra nutriti...