"Chronic malnutrition levels in Pakistan have not changed in the past 40 years and have been estimated to cost the economy 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) per year," Dr Paracha.
More than 350,000 children die in Pakistan every year before their fifth birthday and 35% of these deaths are due to malnutrition, participants said in a meeting held on Tuesday between local representatives of the World Food Programme (WFP).
WFP Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Programme Officer Amjad Bacha shared these statistics at a meeting with civil society organisations organised by Development Partners for Nutrition and Save the Children Pakistan. Bacha said poverty is not the only reason behind child malnutrition in the country; other major causes include hygiene and diseases.
The session was aimed to promote nutrition as a basic human right by increasing the understanding of civil society organisations. Participants included representatives of various organisations, including members of Child Rights Movement K-P and media representatives.
On the occasion, Professor at Department of Human Nutrition, Agricultural University Peshawar Dr Parvez Iqbal Paracha said nearly half of Pakistan’s children and mothers suffer from malnutrition. “This is a life and death crisis for many. Chronic malnutrition levels in Pakistan have not changed in the past 40 years and have been estimated to cost the economy 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) per year. This makes the problem worse than the energy crisis, which costs 2% of the GDP,” said Dr Paracha.
“We all know what needs to be done; now it’s just about generating the political will to do it. We require a repeated call to action from civil society to help tackle the issue and if prioritised, malnutrition can be ended in a generation in Pakistan,” he added.
According to the National Nutrition Survey of 2011, the challenge facing the province is substantial, said UNICEF Nutrition Specialist K-P, Aien Khan. K-P has a dangerously high rate of nutritional stunting among children under the age of five (47.8%), as compared to the national average of 43.7%, he added.
He added the prevalence of wastage is 17.3%, as compared to 15.1% nationally. As per World Health Organization’s standards, a national average of 15% or above is labelled an ‘emergency’. These figures have not changed significantly in the past decade.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 20th, 2013.
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