Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Secretary Dr Allah Baksh Malik said that the government is committed to implementing National Health Vision 2016-20 in practical means, which aims to achieve universal health coverage through a resilient and responsive health system, and realise the Sustainable Development Goals and other national and international commitments.
He said that to fulfill that vision, many crucial policy and guidance documents have been developed at the federal level, such as the Infant and Young Child Feeding Strategy 2016-2020, the adolescent nutrition strategy, the nationwide vitamin A supplementation program, and the national food fortification program, adding that a multi-billion rupees nutrition program is also being finalized, which will be implemented at the provincial level.
Dr Malik was addressing a two-day national conference, which aimed to step up action on malnutrition and brought together parliamentarians, government officials, donors, academics and civil society organizations. The conference was organised by Nutrition International, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Secretariat and the SUN Civil Society Alliance in collaboration with Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms.
The secretary said that women between 15years to 49 years are also facing the triple burden of malnutrition as 14percent are undernourished, 28 percent are overweight and 38 percent are obese while numbers are being increased very rapidly.
Dr. Shabina Raza, Country Director for Nutrition International said that conference is an opportunity for stakeholders to take stock of the malnutrition situation at the national and provincial levels and identify opportunities for action. “The National Nutrition Conference will help us understand clear pathways for multisectoral integration and develop actionable plans, using existing coordination mechanisms for accelerating improvement in nutrition”, she claimed
On the occasion, President Dr Arif Alvi expressed his concern on the alarming figures of malnutrition in the country. “I used to believe that nobody dies of hunger in Pakistan when I used to visit neighboring poverty-stricken countries” but the situation is otherwise, he said adding it’s ironic that despite of having enough Sun throughout the year majority of the population suffers from Vitamin D deficiency.
According to a survey the 40.2 percent of children under five years of age are stunted, while 17.7 percent suffer from wasting. The double burden of malnutrition is apparent, with 28.9 percent of children underweight and 9.5 percent overweight. Despite marginal improvement from 2011, when the prevalence of stunting was 43.7 percent, it remains at a critical level. Experts believe that this change can be attributed to population increase, and there has actually been very little improvement.
Sharing Canada’s support in addressing malnutrition, Ms. Wendy Gilmore, Canadian High Commissioner in Pakistan said “Canada is proud to support Pakistan’s efforts on addressing malnutrition issues through our partner Nutrition International. Nutrition requires a comprehensive approach, with the empowerment of women and girls at its core, as it impacts health, education, and economic development outcomes.”
