Day: February 6, 2023

Jakarta – Acting Governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono is investigating the re-emergence of acute kidney injury cases in Jakarta after they subsided in November 2022.

“We are handling it seriously. This morning, I spoke with the Health Office to handle it and figure out what is causing it,” he informed at the Jakarta Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) building here on Monday.

He said he is also coordinating with the Health Ministry to handle acute kidney injury that tends to affect children.

The Jakarta Health Office has reported two cases of atypical progressive acute kidney injury (GGAPA) in West Jakarta and East Jakarta.

Head of the surveillance, epidemiology, and immunization section of the Jakarta Health Office, Ngabila Salama, informed that one of the two patients has died.

Meanwhile, one is still a suspect patient and is being treated at a hospital. Currently, the patient being treated is showing signs of recovery, Salama said.

She urged parents to provide non-medicine therapy if their children are experiencing fever, cough, or runny nose, such as ensuring they get adequate meals, fluids, and sleep.

Despite this, under certain circumstances, she urged people to not be hasty. She advised parents to observe children’s symptoms after they are given medicines and monitor their condition.

If they experience additional symptoms such as a decrease in urine production or produce no urine at all despite drinking an adequate amount of fluids, parents must contact medical workers or doctors, she said.

According to the Health Ministry, the number of atypical progressive acute kidney injury cases in Indonesia reached 324 as of November 2022 and has declined since then.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – Competency-based training offers an opportunity to the people to improve their future, according to the Ministry of Manpower.

“Do not be easily satisfied with the competencies you get from the training program. You must maintain and continue to develop your competencies. This is an opportunity to improve your social and economic life and your future,” secretary general of the Manpower Ministry Anwar Sanusi said in a written statement received here on Monday.

While opening the “2023 Competency-Based Training (PBK) Batch I” at Bekasi Vocational and Productivity Training Center (BBPVP), West Java, on Monday, he asked PBK participants to take advantage of the training opportunity and try their best during the competency test.

According to Sanusi, every year, Indonesia’s high school/vocational schools or higher education institutions, diploma programs, polytechnics, and universities produce a workforce that numbers up to 3 million per year. However, the ability to accommodate the workforce within the labor market has not been balanced.

“Even if it is balanced, there will definitely be problems, especially the suitability of competencies and skills between prospective workers and job demands,” he pointed out.

He further noted that to tap into the upcoming demographic bonus, it is necessary to provide expertise and skills to productive age workers who have great energy so that they can tackle challenges and competition in the job market.

“If they are not equipped with sufficient expertise and skills to compete, then they will lose their chance to win the battle in the job market,” Sanusi explained.

He said that currently, Indonesian workers not only need to compete against domestic workers but also foreign ones.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide sufficient expertise and skills to productive age workers so that they can beat the global competition in the job market, he added.

“We cannot close Indonesia’s door to accept foreign workers because, at the same time, we are also flooding labor markets abroad with our talents. Only people who are capable with sufficient stock of competition and have special skills will win the competition,” Sanusi emphasized.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – Indonesia’s open water swim team collected four gold medals at the 1st SEA Open Water Swimming Championship in Putra Jaya, Malaysia, on February 2–4, 2023.

According to a written statement received from the Indonesian Swimming Association (PRSI) here on Monday, the gold medals were bagged by Aflah Fadlan Prawira, Adinda Larasati Dewi, Izzy Dwifaiva Hefrisyanthi, and the mixed relay team.

Prawira finished first in the men’s 5-kilometer (km) event with a time of 55 minutes and 21.4 seconds. He was also named the best male swimmer at the event.

“What Prawira achieved is quite good. Apart from Prawira, there are also several swimmers who achieved good results and are in the young age category. They are being prepared for the 2025 SEA Games,” the Indonesian open water swim team’s Chef de Mission Liza Januar said.

Dewi struck gold in the women’s 5km event with a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 13.7 seconds. At the same event, another Indonesian swimmer, Kathriana Mella Gustianjani, bagged the bronze medal with a time of 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 21.6 seconds.

Hefrisyanthi claimed her gold in the 5km event for the 18–19 age bracket with a time of 1 hour, 2 minutes, and 11.8 seconds. At the same event, Indonesia’s Aisha Jenar Laksitadevi, took the bronze with a time of 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 07.3 seconds.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s mixed relay team, consisting of Mochamad Dimas Permana Taufik, Dewi, Hefrisyanthi, and Prawira, clinched gold with a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 00.8 seconds.

In addition, Indonesian swimmer Virgin Silvia Natan bagged bronze in the women’s 10km event with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 17.4 seconds.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy has highlighted the importance of health checks for prospective brides and grooms to support efforts to accelerate stunting reduction.

“Through health checks, the physical health and reproductive health of prospective brides and grooms will be known,” he said in a statement released here on Monday.

Effendy expressed the hope that through health checks, anemia can be prevented in prospective brides.

“Preventing or correcting anemia in prospective brides will support efforts to prevent stunting because if the prospective bride is suffering from anemia, she will have the potential to suffer anemia during pregnancy,” he explained.

If anemia in pregnant women is not handled, they are at risk of giving birth to children with lower body weight or stunted children, he said.

Therefore, health screening or health checks, education and assistance for prospective brides and grooms are needed to improve their understanding and awareness, the minister said.

In this regard, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture is encouraging regional governments, especially village governments, to ensure that prospective brides and grooms in their respective areas get marriage guidance and undergo health checks.

“If needed, a village regulation can be made that emphasizes the obligation for prospective brides and grooms to report three months before marriage to get marriage guidance and carry out health checks,” he said.

The government is currently continuing to make strategic efforts to accelerate stunting reduction, the minister added. The 2022 Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI) pegged Indonesia’s stunting prevalence at 21.6 percent.

“Meanwhile, the government is targeting stunting prevalence to decline to be at 14 percent in 2024,” Effendy said.

To achieve the target, cross-sectoral cooperation, starting from the government at the central level to the regional and village level, is needed, he added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – The number of international tourist arrivals in 2022 surpassed the target of 5.2 million for the year, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said on Monday.

During the “Weekly Brief with Sandi Uno,” which was followed online, he said that the number of international tourist arrivals almost touched 5.5 million in 2022, reflecting an increase of 250 percent compared to 2021.

As of November 2022, the total number of international tourist arrivals touched 4.6 million, and the country only needed 600 thousand tourist arrivals in December to achieve the target of 5.2 million, he informed.

“However, when the number of foreign tourist arrivals in December 2022 was released, (namely) 895 thousand, it (the total number of arrivals) almost touched 5.5 million arrivals in 2022, and I could not hide my happiness,” he said.

Compared to December 2021, there was an increase of 447.08 percent in the number of international tourist arrivals in December 2022. Compared to November 2022, the figure reflected an increase of 36.19 percent.

According to the minister, Singapore was the top country of origin for international tourists visiting Indonesia (20.15 percent), followed by Malaysia (17.89 percent), Australia (11.42 percent), Timor Leste (8.4 percent) and India (5.61 percent).

The increase in the number of international tourist arrivals was also followed by an increase in the room occupancy rate at star-rated hotels, which almost reached 57 percent, or an increase of 5.33 percentage points compared to 2021.

“This was also followed by the average length of stay of visitors (international tourists), which stood at 1.62 days, increased from the previous year (2021),” Uno said.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali is optimistic that the Indonesian national team will perform optimally at the 2023 U-20 FIFA World Cup, scheduled from May 20 to June 11, 2023.

The national team is expected to qualify in the group stage and continue to fight at the knockout stage, he said.

“Mr. President (Joko Widodo) expects the boys (the national team players) to play optimally. Still, he does not set any pretentious target, as the President knows the (quality) of the teams which will compete (in the cup) later,” the minister said in a press release on Monday.

Furthermore, he observed that the young national squad has improved under the direction of coach Shin Tae-yong.

“It is also hoped that the participation of naturalized players (who will join the squad later) can help improve the quality of the Indonesian national team. They (the players) are in the middle of the (naturalization) process with Kemenkumham (Law and Human Rights Ministry), with whom I have coordinated. Hopefully, the process will be fast,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the draw for the group stage of the Cup will be held on April 1, 2023.

The tournament will be attended by teams from 24 countries, including host Indonesia, who will be divided into 6 groups.

So far, 12 national teams have qualified for the 2023 U-20 FIFA World Cup: Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, the United States, Fiji, New Zealand, England, France, Israel, Italy, and Slovakia.

The remaining 12 participants, who have not been determined, will come from the Asian, African, and South American confederations, which will send four representatives each.

Those countries will still need to compete in the U-20 tournaments of their respective confederations, which will be held around February to March 2023, to qualify for the U-20 FIFA World Cup.

The South American U-20 Championship will take place in February 2023, while the AFC U-20 Asian Cup and the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations will be held in March 2023.

The semi-finalists of the championships will get the opportunity to play at the 2023 U-20 FIFA World Cup.

Source: Antara News