Most Pakistani babies lack proper diet

Health ministry survey suggests government to allocate Rs400m for each district

Arecent survey by the Nutrition Wing of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) has cautioned the government against the increasing number of stunted children (aged six months to 24 months) affected by poor food fortification and lack of awareness on the part of the parents.

The survey findings have revealed that nearly 80 per cent of Pakistani children in the above age group do not have a balanced diet, remain underfed and do not achieve proper growth.

More than half the infants do not get solid, semi-solid or soft food during the recommended period, while just 22 per cent up to the age of two get a diet meeting the minimum standards of dietary diversity — at least food groups out of seven.

In Pakistan, the last national nutrition survey was held in 2011 and health experts have called for a new survey so that future policy may be devised in its wake.

“The survey, which was held across the country for almost six months, shows that children do not get sufficient proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and other important elements of a diet,” said a health ministry official.

According to the survey, affordability is the main problem in accessing a nutritious diet, as fruit, eggs and meat are out of reach for most of the population due to high prices.

Vitamins B12 and A, calcium and iron are hardly available in local foods.

“We looked at the cost of diets across the country and the cost of a nutritious diet ranges between Rs104,000 to Rs171,300 (Dh3,103 to Dh5,111) annually per household,” the NHS official said.

Food consumption patterns in Pakistani society are unlikely to change unless household incomes increase and the availability of major foodstuffs in the market is not an issue.

“We have suggested four major steps to address the issue. Poor families should be given vitamins on the community level, breastfeeding ordinance needs to be implemented and it should be made aware that formula milk is not an alternative to mother’s milk,” said the official of the nutrition wing.

Some of the measures suggested to the government include: food fortification through flour and oil by including vitamins A and D and folic acid; bio-diversification, as some wheat varieties have zinc and folic acid; provision of food baskets to the poor through the Benazir Income Support Programme; and allocation of funds for each district to fight the stunting among children.

A ministry official said it was suggested to the Prime Minister’s Office that an average of Rs400 million would be needed to be spent on a district with a population of one million every year. “The percentage of stunted children can be reduced by 15 to 20 per cent if Rs400 million is spent on a population of one million continuously for four years,” he said.

The survey was done in 17 livelihood zones in 12 districts across four provinces, commissioned by Unicef Pakistan.