March 5, 2006	Sunday	Safar 4, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, March 4: Over 40 per cent of the women in reproductive age in Pakistan suffer from iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), a condition that claims the lives of 30 per cent mothers in the country.

“Over a third of reproductive age women suffer from severe iodine deficiency while alarming levels of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) among all population groups is rampant.

To reverse this alarming situation, a National Plan of Action (NPA) for the control of Micro-Nutrient Malnutrition was recently launched. The NPA has been developed by the health ministry with the support from the Micronutrient Initiative (MI), a non-profit international organization.

Emerged from an elaborate process of inter-department discussion and workshops, the strategy seeks to build upon existing government initiatives while taking advantage of new technical and scientific advances emerging internationally.

The NPA also provides concrete objectives and specific actions, identifies responsible agencies and specifies timetables and culminates in a comprehensive three-year plan to address the country’s micronutrient malnutrition problems systematically and efficiently.

The National Plan of Action describes the micronutrient malnutrition — often referred to as “hidden hunger” — as a problem of major magnitude and enormous developmental consequences in Pakistan.