Malnutrition challenge
Punjab’s Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has stressed the need to tackle malnutrition and improve information on other diseases to protect our children’s health. The provincial minister’s call is well-timed as the country is edging towards a severe health crisis. The sudden Covid outbreak sidelined all other health concerns because of which humanitarian needs have now intensified. As of 2021, as many as 1.7 million Pakistani children and women needed nutrition services, 463,000 required access to healthcare, and 1.8 million needed water, sanitation and hygiene.
Sindh, in particular, has been at the forefront of a health crisis with acute malnutrition reaching a critical level in 8 of its 29 districts. The main factors contributing to malnutrition include inadequate quality and quantity of food, poor hygiene practices and sanitation coverage, and a lack of health-seeking behaviour. The absence of education coupled with abject poverty has prevented people from realising the gravity of the matter. Resultantly, millions of children’s livelihoods are under threat because of child wasting and stunting.
As Pakistan is already facing a chronic nutrition emergency, provincial healthcare authorities should work with the Ministry of National Health Services to address the issue effectively. Despite the allocation of funds, the Sindh healthcare department failed to implement the Accelerated Action Plan to mitigate malnourishment and stunting. The provincial healthcare authorities should regularly review the implementation of programmes. Also, these authorities should partner with international humanitarian and healthcare agencies to provide severe acute malnutrition treatments. They must realise that mere lip service will not suffice, nutrition intake should be improved, and sanitation services must be provided in rural and impoverished areas.
With rising food insecurity and water shortages, malnutrition is expected to worsen. Therefore, a comprehensive plan should be drawn up to equip the healthcare departments with all the appropriate services to safeguard our children’s future.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2022.
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