A media dialogue on the nutrition situation affecting children, adolescents and women of Pakistan was organised by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) here today
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 04th May, 2019) A media dialogue on the nutrition situation affecting children, adolescents and women of Pakistan was organised by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) here today. The dialogue, held in collaboration with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (MNHSRC), Government of Pakistan, highlighted the challenges and opportunities related to nutrition in the country.
The interactive discussion featured distinguished guests such as Ms. Kanwal Shauzab, Member - National Assembly of Pakistan and Parliamentary Secretary - Planning Development & Reform, Dr. Nausheen Hamid, Member - National Assembly of Pakistan and Parliamentary Secretary -NHSRC, Dr. Abdul Baseer Khan Achakzai, Director - Nutrition, MNHSRC, Mr. Muhammad Aslam Shaheen - Chief of Nutrition, Planning and Development Division, Planning Commission, Ministry of Planning Development and Reform, and the focal point for Scaling Up Nutrition in Pakistan, and Dr.
Saba Shuja, Nutrition Officer, UNICEF Pakistan.The panel of experts expressed concern over the fact that more than 4 out of every 10 children under five years of age (over 10 million children) are affected by stunting. Stunting is caused by chronic malnutrition. It inhibits children's cognitive and physical development, damaging their growth in the long run. More than 15 per cent of children in the same age-group suffer from severe acute malnutrition - an illness that can also be fatal.
The nutritional status of adolescent girls and women impacts the growth and development of their future children. Attempts at reducing the number of underweight and anaemic adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 19 years has also been slow. The diets of adolescent girls and women are often too poor to meet nutritional needs for their healthy growth and development as well as that of the future children.
