ISLAMABAD: The National Survey 2018 report on malnutrition in Pakistan and its effects has come to light. The report reveals that 13% of children between the ages of two and five in the country suffer from some form of ‘functional disability’. This disability can be mental or physical and can have many degrees of severity.
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One in eight adolescents and one in five boys of the same age suffer from malnutrition and weight loss, the report said. Half of the girls in Pakistan who reach puberty are anemic, while the triple burden of malnutrition in women of childbearing age is also a big question mark.
In Pakistan, 14% of women of childbearing age are malnourished, up from 18% according to the 2011 National Nutrition Survey (NNS). That’s an improvement of four percent after seven years. However, the rate of obesity and overweight due to indiscriminate eating, which was 28% in 2011, has now reached 38%.
The National Nutrition Survey Report 2018 prepared by several organizations has been prepared on Tuesday, the details of which have been presented by Dr. Basir Achakzai, Director, Nutrition Program, Ministry of Health. According to NNS18, four out of ten children under the age of five are stunted and suffer from stunting. However, compared to 2011, it has decreased by four percent.
Similarly, two out of ten children under the age of five suffer from vesting. That is, some of the limbs of these children, ie hands, feet, etc., do not grow properly.
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On the occasion, Dr. Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, said that the government was working hard to reduce food insecurity in the country. That is why public malnutrition has been included in the plan. At the direction of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health is working on co-operation and policy between various agencies to address the food crisis in the country. In this regard, a technical advisory group has also been formed, ”said Dr Faisal Sultan.
He also expressed concern over the revelations of the Food Survey that the nutrition of women and children in the country is well below the acceptable level which can be termed as an alarm bell.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Zulfiqar Bhatta, International Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Specialist, said that maternal and child nutrition situation in Pakistan is a major challenge. He said that the catastrophic floods of 2010 had also hampered the improvement of food quality and the targets had not been achieved.