Fighting disastrous malnutrition

Our life may not be as sweet as it used to be long time ago, but we have to exercise patience and share each other’s happiness as we’re passing through hard times despite some relief provided by administration, say salaried people.

Similarly, housewives have their own story about food prices, but they react angrily to malnutrition.

Everybody is a consumer. So, citizens do feel impact on their daily life when in spite of administration’s effort to arrest food price hike there is abrupt rise in vegetable, fruit, milk, yogurt and meat prices.

A United Nations Development Programme official said the other day the people of Pakistan are so capable and intelligent, but they’re not making more progress than they should in terms of poverty reduction and inequality. Perhaps, he forgot that now-defeated terrorists were creating hurdle in our socio-economic progress.

Now wealthy sections of society may not take time in realising that beneficial change demands, as he said, sacrificing short-term, individual and family interest.

The heartening news is that our country is fighting devastating malnutrition with mass food fortifying programme. A new programme of fortification of everyday foods such as bread and oil is being undertaken in an attempt to tackle chronic and widespread malnutrition.

The £36 million programme will see nutrients added directly to wheat flour, edible oils and ghee at source in mills and factories. This is the first time that staple food will be fortified across the country which reportedly has some of the worst rates of child malnutrition.

The programme is aimed mainly at changing the health of women and children. Early child bearing reduces a woman’s nutritional status and there are taboos around women eating certain food. For example, they might be told they can’t eat much egg or meat in pregnancy, which in fact are rich in protein and iron that they need.

The high levels of malnutrition are having a devastating impact on our country’s development.

When these children become adults they are more susceptible to communicable diseases, they generate less money for their families. Hence, fighting disastrous malnutrition is must.

zasarwar@hotmail.com