Over 1,700 Indonesian students, teachers hospitalised after free meals programme
Another 777 students and teachers contracted food poisoning in Indonesia’s Central Java after consuming government-issued free meals, a school principal said on Thursday, bringing the total number of people made ill by the scheme to more than 1,700 in just a week. In separate incidents in three other locations this week, 950 Indonesians had fallen … The post Over 1,700 Indonesian students,…
More than 1,700 Indonesian students and teachers have been hospitalised in a week due to food poisoning from the country's free meal programme, according to a recent report. President Prabowo Subianto initiated the multibillion-dollar initiative last year to enhance nutrition for tens of millions of children. However, the costly scheme has faced allegations of corruption, leadership changes, and numerous food poisoning outbreaks.
In Lasem, Central Java, a senior high school reported 752 students and 25 teachers suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting after consuming free meals on Wednesday. The students were provided with grilled chicken, which a food taster discovered contained slimy components. Most of the victims were sent home, with 15 individuals being hospitalized by local doctor Joko Paryanto.
Earlier on Tuesday, 664 students fell ill in Sidoarjo, East Java, as reported by Herawati Yuwantina, a local official. In Nganjuk, East Java, 49 people contracted food poisoning on Wednesday, and in Agam, West Sumatra, 237 individuals fell ill. Charles Honoris, a lawmaker and member of the opposition party, stated that these incidents are not isolated, calling it a systemic failure.
The National Nutrition Agency, responsible for overseeing the $12.94 billion programme, has not yet commented on the recent cases of food poisoning. On September 1, 50,000 people had been affected by similar outbreaks, as cited by Charles from health department data. Common causes of food poisoning in the programme include improper food storage and late delivery of cooked meals.
A survey conducted in July revealed that only one-third of the population were satisfied with the scheme, with food poisoning cited as a significant issue.
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