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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Institute (TII) is urging the government to be more transparent in implementing the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program by holding monthly press conferences. This step is considered important to ensure accountability, public information transparency, and to increase public understanding of the safety and nutrition standards within the program.Social Researcher from TII, Made Natasya Restu Dewi Pratiwi, stated that public reporting models such as those used during the Covid-19 pandemic could be taken as an example. "Data transparency can be ensured through monthly press conferences or online dashboards accessible to the public," she said as quoted from a written statement on Monday, October 27, 2025.TII also encourages the finalization of the Presidential Regulation regarding the Governance of the MBG Program by ensuring public involvement in the drafting process. This regulation is important to clarify the authorities between institutions, especially between the central and regional governments.Natasya believes that the success of health programs should not only be measured by the number of beneficiaries, but also by the health and empowerment of the community after the program is implemented. She suggests that the MBG program be integrated with nutrition education in schools and integrated health posts. "This way, the community will not only be passive recipients, but also actively understand healthy eating patterns," she said.On the other hand, Natasya believes that the health policies of Prabowo-Gibran are still focused on large targets without a thorough evaluation of their quality and impact in the field. She pointed out the case of mass poisoning in the MBG program, which was seen merely as statistics.Natasya also emphasizes the importance of integrating health programs with digital technology. For example, she suggests optimizing the SATUSEHAT mobile application so that the public can access the results of the free health check."The results of the health check should not stop at the medical desk. The public needs to know what follow-up actions are necessary to maintain long-term health," she said.She asserts that the data from the health check can be the basis for public policy formulation, including mapping disease trends, determining health service priorities, and planning the allocation of BPJS Kesehatan (Healthcare and Social Security Agency) budget. Registration also needs to be expanded to include mental illnesses and non-communicable diseases, such as cancer caused by pollution or microplastics.Editor's Choice: Another Free Nutritious Meal Poisoning Case Reported in Sleman, Central JavaClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
