Prevent conflicts of interest in reducing malnutrition.pdf
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Transcript of Prevent conflicts of interest in reducing malnutrition.pdf
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Prevent conflicts of interest in reducing malnutrition Irma Hidayana, MPH Published at The Jakarta Post, March 1st , 2015
Since the 1970s, the Health Ministry had a great community-based nutrition program,
named Family Nutrition Improvement Program (Usaha Perbaikan Gizi Keluarga, or
UPGK). The UPGK has been improving community access to nutrition for infants
and young children through its services and educational programs and also through
the integrated health services post (Posyandu). Three years ago, a new similar
nutrition improvement program, named the First 1,000 Days of Life Movement
(HPK), was initiated by the government as part of the global Scaling Up Nutrition
(SUN) movement in developing countries. Both the UPGK and the HPK programs
are similar except for in the promotion of business partnerships in reducing
malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of a childs life in the HPK program.
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A moral commitment to support optimal breastfeeding must be prioritized as the
foundation of any types of industries contribution.
Invitations to the private sector to participate in the HPK were believed to be part of
an effective solution to address malnutrition problems in Indonesia. Partnering with
the business sector was part of the SUN initiative that calls for multi-sector
collaboration during the first critical 1,000 days of a childs life. However, involving
the private sector in a non-profit program has been criticized because the private
sector is not a social agency and, therefore, all they are investing in is their marketing
strategy to earn profits. The issue is closely linked to trust and conflict of interest
key barriers along the critical path to optimize all programs in improving child
nutrition in this country.
Despite the controversies, the HPK task force is ready to move ahead to
partner with business in reducing malnutrition problems. According to the Global
Nutrition Report launched here on Feb. 9, there is a need to develop stronger
accountability with better data and more transparency, as well as stronger feedback
systems to improve nutrition. As the SUN committee discussed in the global
guidelines on conflict of interest in mid-February, the HPK task force itself should
prepare a set of ethical principles. To ensure trust in partnering with the business
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sector and as a safeguard in delivering the HPK programs, the national guidelines
should follow six key ethical principles: integrity, justice, responsible activity,
accountability, sustainability and transparency.
First, stakeholders, including business partners, should act with integrity and
abstain from engaging in grey area practices, such as promoting breast milk
substitutes. Second, justice: remind stakeholders, especially industries, that a moral
commitment to support optimal breastfeeding must be prioritized as the foundation of
any types of industries contribution.
Third, the responsible activity principle a commitment to comply with
international legal frameworks and, where applicable, domestic laws. Thus business
partners must follow the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes
and, importantly, business entities and their associations that have violated the code
should not be accepted as partners in the HPK program. Business partners also
should follow the health law, Government Regulation No. 33/2012 on exclusive
breastfeeding and other relevant regulations at the provincial or regency level.
Fourth, the commitment to ensure sustainability of natural resources and the
environment in producing complementary feedings products. Since industries can
produce high-quality, low-cost commercially produced fortified complementary foods
within the HPK program, they must incorporate locally grown resources, follow
environmentally friendly production, packaging and distribution of these products.
This principle should be implemented in accordance with the food self-sufficiently
program initiated by President Joko Jokowi Widodo at the end of last year.
Last, but not least, is the principle of transparency to encourage businesses to
produce high-quality, low-cost, commercially complementary foods in a transparent
manner to build trust and prevent any conflict of interest in reducing malnutrition.
Furthermore, monitoring compliance with these ethical principles should be
the governments responsibility to ensure business partnerships in the HPK program
are effective in reducing malnutrition problems in Indonesia.
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