Mother, child mortality

This should be a matter of serious concern for policymakers that Balochistan has recorded the highest mother and child mortality rate. The provincial health minister has attributed this to the less developed infrastructure of the region emphasising the need for paying more attention to the issue. Talking to a media outlet the other day, he said the provincial government had declared a nutrition emergency. He said the issue could be tackled only with collective and concrete efforts and urged support for the Provincial Nutrition Programme. He sought support of all government organisations in reaching out to the masses living in poor conditions in far-flung areas of the province. The minister said the WHO, Unicef and the WFP were cooperating with the government of Balochistan in tackling the issue of malnutrition in the province. He urged the Ministry of National Health Services to engage with donors and development partners to invest and mobilise resources to help the provincial health department overcome the issue of mother and child mortality. The minister said considering the significance of nutrition, it tops the agenda of the government. He expressed satisfaction that mothers and children were being provided with best possible nutrition care facilities in seven districts of the province. He said the government was committed to elevating the nutrition status in the province on a long-term basis.

Malnutrition among mothers and children under five is prevalent in most developing countries. Around 165 million children under five years of age suffer from the malady worldwide. Malnutrition is one of the top killers of children. It also causes morbidity and physical and mental stunting. An important cause of the malady is lack of spacing between births. Health facilities in Balochistan are located far away from villages. Medicare facilities should not be more than four kilometres away from human settlements. Most regions in the Third World endowed with rich resources have most misery. It is a paradox. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2019.

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