Enhanced Nutrition for Mothers & Children Project launched

PESHAWAR: Minister for Health Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan on Wednesday said that malnutrition was a serious issue and the provincial government was pursuing various programmes to address the same.

Addressing the participants of the launching ceremony of Enhanced Nutrition for Mothers and Children project, the minister said that the government was committed to reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality rate.

The event was organised in connection with the World Children’s Day celebrated on November 20. DG Health Dr Arshad Khan, Secretary Engr. Muhammad Yahya Akhunzada and others were also present.

Sharing details from the National Nutrition Survey 2018, he said that, four out of 10 children under five-year-of age were stunted, adding the ratio in merged tribal districts was 48.3 per cent. He said wasting was also a problem and was on the rise since 1997. “Responding to this situation, the government has imposed Nutrition Emergency in the province to embark upon initiatives for addressing the issues of malnutrition,” he added.

Hisham Inamullah said that the Australian government was providing financial support for uplifting the nutrition status among the children and pregnant and lactating women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that addressing general malnutrition among children, pregnant & lactating women, and adolescent girls was the prime objective of the initiative.The minister said that project included addressing micronutrient malnutrition, behaviour change and strengthening institutional capacity. He said the project has been initiated in April last and around 250 Outpatient Therapeutic Programme Sites or OTP sites were established. The minister said these OTP sites provided the first level of care to the severally malnourished children. Similarly, he said, nutrition stabilization centres in every district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were established, adding the essential equipment were used for screening of children and lactating and pregnant women to assess their nutritional status.