Misconceptions deprive 25pc of Pakistani children of breast milk: experts

ISLAMABAD: Around 20-25 percent of children in Pakistan never receive even a single drop of their mother’s milk, primarily due to misconceptions and a lack of awareness among women and their families, who often consider breast milk to be either less nutritious or even harmful, leading child health and nutrition expert Prof. Zulfiqar Bhutta said citing the National Nutritional Survey 2018.

“Besides poverty, lack of awareness is a major driver of undernutrition in many areas of Pakistan, where around 20-25 percent of children are never breastfed,” observed Prof. Bhutta, the founding director of the Institute of Global Health and Development (IGHD). He was speaking at the launch event for a pioneering online nutrition course, aimed at educating healthcare providers on essential nutrition for Pakistan’s most vulnerable groups.

According to Dr. Bhutta, “the change in Pakistan’s nutrition landscape can be brought about by creating awareness among people and educating healthcare professionals.” The online courses, launched by IGHD in collaboration with the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) under the IGNIT3 project, are part of a broader five-year capacity-building initiative. Known formally as the “Increase Gains in Nutrition by Integration, Education, Evaluation & Empowerment” (IGNIT3) project, this Canadian-funded initiative is designed to empower healthcare professionals in Pakistan, Ghana, and Malawi. The IGNIT3 project aims to equip doctors, dietitians, nurses, and midwives with essential knowledge and tools to integrate nutrition care, focusing on women, children, and adolescent girls. In Pakistan, the project is implemented through partnerships with Nutrition International, WaterAid Pakistan, and the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health in Toronto, Canada.

Addressing the gathering, Prof. Bhutta outlined other key contributors to malnutrition, such as unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and climate change-related disruptions in food production. “We face a triple burden of malnutrition,” he emphasized, citing undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity as interconnected issues. Prof. Bhutta advocated for a multi-sectoral approach to malnutrition, integrating education, healthcare, and sanitation to address Pakistan’s nutritional deficiencies. He also called for early, targeted interventions, stressing that improving maternal and child health can help break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition and contribute to Pakistan’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Director General of Health, Dr. Shabana Saleem, praised the IGNIT3 project as “a ray of hope” for Pakistan’s future health outcomes. Recognizing Pakistan’s immense challenges, she remarked that the government alone cannot resolve the escalating malnutrition crisis among women and children. She called for international support and emphasized that addressing malnutrition is a shared responsibility requiring combined efforts from local and global partners. “Institutions and organizations must not work in silos,” Dr. Saleem stressed, underlining the importance of collaboration for sustainable improvements in Pakistan’s nutrition landscape.

Adding an international perspective, Luke Myers, Head of the Development Section at the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad, underscored the connection between nutrition and national progress. Myers observed that improved nutrition impacts health, education, and economic sectors. “Canada is committed to supporting Pakistan in addressing malnutrition, an essential element for achieving development goals,” he said, advocating for a collaborative approach involving governments and international partners to create a sustainable, healthier future for Pakistan.

The IGNIT3 project’s online courses, designed specifically for healthcare professionals in Pakistan, are hosted on the World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) Platform. Accessible on mobile devices, the courses offer offline options to accommodate users with limited internet access. Healthcare providers who complete the courses will receive certificates accredited by the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Pakistan Medical Council.

The event also featured addresses by Brian Smith from SickKids Centre for Global Child Health, Dr Mehreen Mujtaba, Director of Climate Change, Nutrition, and Health at the Ministry of National Health Services, Stephanie de Young from SickKids, Dr Jai Das of AKU, Dr Amira Khan from SickKids, Nasreen Samad of Nutrition International, and Dr Bisma Imran from WaterAid Pakistan, all of whom underscored the urgency of addressing nutrition and health disparities in Pakistan’s underserved regions.