The Health Ministry is in the spotlight due to an epidemic of measles and malnutrition in Papua's Asmat Regency. Some have accused the Ministry of being slow to act, resulting in the deaths of 72 Asmat residents.

The Health Ministry's director-general of public health, Anung Sugihantono, denied being slow in anticipating the tragedy in that south Papuan regency. "In October 2017, we gave data on 183 children in Asmat who had the potential to be mal