Nutrition emergency

The saying that money does not buy happiness may ring true superficially, but when it comes to wellbeing and low stress as sources of happiness, money certainly plays a role. In a drastic update from the Balochistan government, Health Minister Mir Naseebullah Marri labelled the province’s plight in child and maternal health as experiencing a nutrition emergency. Exactly what parameters constitute an emergency are less definitive but there is enough reason for the minister to do so after an annual meeting with the Balochistan Nutrition Programme for Mothers and Children (BNPMC). The root cause is concluded to be poverty and this is unsurprising for Balochistan noting that it is the poorest province of the country, according to a report by the UNDP. Assuaging malnutrition in the province will require strategic liaising with the employment and development sectors.

Stunted growth as a result of malnutrition has been an epidemic that health professionals continue to struggle with. While poverty is to blame, regressive mentalities with regard to women in the workplace also put families at risk. It ignores the advantage that added income could give to the household to be food secure, instead wanting to waste a woman’s talents.

In a state of malnutrition emergency, a coordinated effort is required between departments. It is obvious that food assistance programmes such as those popular for feeding the destitute and homeless wanderers during Ramazan or otherwise are not long-term solutions. Furthermore, if people regularly expect they can secure free meals either through free food programmes or begging, they will not learn to provide for themselves to be self-sufficient. Thus, during this time of emergency, food assistance programmes such as the BNPMC are practical to move away from a state of emergency and save lives by targeting nutritional deficiencies, but long-term solutions are crucial to tackle the root cause of poverty.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2018.

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