Mother, child mortality rates highest in Balochistan: Marri

He says the Balochistan government has already declared nutrition emergency in the province in this regard

ISLAMABAD: Balochistan Health Minister Mir Naseebullah Marri has said that the highest mother and the child mortality rate was recorded in Balochistan due to its less developed infrastructure which demands extra attention and support.

Talking to APP, he said the Balochistan government has already declared nutrition emergency in the province in this regard.

Stressing the need for collective and concrete efforts, he affirmed that community-based intervention to address acute malnutrition of mothers and children is a collective responsibility. He urged support to the Provincial Nutrition Programme.

The provincial minister further asked the supporting organisations to extend their support to all the districts of the province in reaching out to the masses living in poor conditions in far-flung areas.

The minister lauded World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP) for extending their support to the government of Balochistan. He said the recent wave of drought had inflicted devastating effects on the health and nutritional status of the people. The federal ministry of national health services should engage with all donors and development partners to invest and mobilise resources to support the health department of Balochistan, he added.

“The fight against malnutrition is the top agenda of the government. It gives me immense pleasure that children and mothers are availing best possible health nutrition care facilities in seven districts of Balochistan," the minister said.

Despite of all the challenges, the government of Balochistan is committed to address malnutrition particularly among children and mothers in the province on long-term basis, Naseebullah Marri said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2019.