Malnutrition concerns

Malnutrition in children and mothers is a serious issue in many developing countries. Pakistan has not been faring any better as we regularly read reports about deaths that are mostly the result of malnutrition. Though such deaths are common across the country, one recent example is from Tharparkar where the death toll of new babies dying due to mothers’ poor health has reached 20 just the past week. This is according to the officially recorded data from Civil Hospital Mithi; unreported deaths may be much higher. This includes new born babies whose ages range from one day to one year. If you include those who died before reaching the age of five, the number may be staggering. In addition, nearly 7,500 children have died and over 27,000 children under the age of five have been affected by the deadly pneumonia virus in Sindh alone. Over the age of five this number is much lower – showing a direct connection with malnutrition of children and mothers during and after pregnancy. A disturbing aspect of this sorry state is that more than 60 percent of cases pertain to rural areas where poverty is rampant. This number includes only those cases that accessed government facilities. Pneumonia has emerged as the number one cause of deaths among children. The situation in the rest of the country is also not much better.

There are at least two strategies that both federal and provincial governments must follow. Reducing malnutrition among children and mothers should be the top priority of all concerned departments and ministries. An expanded programme of vaccinating children when they turn six, 10, and 14 months old, as the WHO recommends, may also help. The problem in Pakistan is that a large number of infants somehow do not get the required vaccination at appropriate intervals. There is also a need to collect reliable data from across Pakistan from both government and private clinics and health facilities as most data from private hospitals do not reach the government record.

According to some estimates, approximately 90,000 children die annually in Pakistan due to the pneumonia virus alone that affects malnourished children more than healthy children. The coverage of immunisation will not help much if children and mothers lack the required nutrition during prenatal and post-natal years. Then there is the question of an unhygienic atmosphere and lack of family planning in rural areas, resulting in malnutrition of mothers who are also overburdened with work at home and in fields. Absence of prenatal care and traditional delivery methods compound the problem and become main contributing factors in this problem. The government may also launch a programme to tackle the issue of extremely low levels of haemoglobin in pregnant women, prevalent in most low-income families. Recent surges in inflation and high prices of essential food items have added to the malnutrition among children and mothers. This is a problem that federal and provincial governments must not ignore.