September 23, 2026 | 10:41 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Winda Sihite, 22, had just arrived home in her home in Karo Regency, North Sumatra, at around 5pm on Friday, August 21, 2026. She had returned with her younger sister, Krismas Sihite, who had spent a week being treated at Haji Medan General Hospital in Deli Serdang after falling ill from food served under the free nutritious meal (MBG) program.
They spent about two and a half hours traveling to Karo. But at around 10pm, the family was forced to take Krismas to the emergency room at Efarina Etaham Hospital in Berastagi. She suddenly developed severe stomach pain. “Her body had stiffened. She said she couldn’t stand the pain anymore,” Winda said by phone on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
The pain subsided. Krismas went home on Saturday morning, August 22. Earlier, on Friday morning, doctors had said that her condition was improving. She and hundreds of other students at Berastagi State Senior High School 1 had fallen ill after eating MBG meals on Thursday, August 13.
The problem was that Krismas continued to complain of pain at home. Not wanting to take any chances, her family took her back to the emergency room on Thursday, September 10. She was then referred again to Haji Medan General Hospital. The girl, who will turn 18 next October, remains under intensive hospital observation.
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