PESHAWAR: Health experts on Saturday urged the provincial government to take effective steps to address the issue of undernutrition and implement the provincial integrated nutrition strategy and relevant laws to ensure safe delivery and growth of children.

Addressing a news conference held at the Peshawar Press Club in connection with observance of the Nov 20 Universal Children Day, Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) provincial president Prof Irshad Ahmad said nearly half of the country’s children were undernourished undermining their mental and physical growth.

He said the province had a dangerously high rate of nutritional stunting among children under the age of five years i.e. 50 to 55 percent compared to 43.7 percent of the national average.

Experts also call for implementation of integrated nutrition strategy

The PPA leader said the stunting occurred when a child’s growth and development was impaired by poor nutrition.

He added the stunting could deprive children of the opportunity to reach their full potential in life.

Accompanied by medical specialist Dr Abdul Jamil, nutrition expert representing Unicef Dr Ayeen Khan, Scaling-Up Nutrition Cell of the planning and development department consultant Mohammad Iqbal and expert Dr Zia Mohammad, Dr Irshad said the rate of breastfeeding in first six months was nearly 37 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to lack of awareness among mothers to start feeding their babies immediately after birth.

He urged mothers to continue breastfeeding children until the age of two years to prevent stunting and malnutrition among them.

The PPA leader called for the effective implementation of the provincial integrated nutrition strategy and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Protection of Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition Act, 2015.

He said many children died of pneumonia, measles, diarrhea and other chronic diseases due to a lack of proper vaccination, which was a matter of grave concern, and therefore, the issue should be addressed through creation of proper awareness to bring behaviour change among parents.

Dr Irshad said poverty was not the root cause of high mortality rate among newborn.

He stressed the need for the provision of the best healthcare facilities to expecting mothers and their children at home and hospital.

The PPA leader said in light of the high incidence of stunting and mortality among newborns, the association would mark the Universal Children Day on Nov 20 in the province in collaboration with the health department, Unicef and Planning and Development SUN Cell to highlight the children’s rights and issues and that it would formulate a holistic strategy for their amicable resolution.

He said different awareness programmes, walks and seminars would be organised in the day under the banner of PPA and relevant government agencies to highlight the issues pertaining to child rights.

Dr Irshad demanded of the provincial government to officially observe Nov 20 as the children’s day saying it will help departments, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to discuss child rights, needs and others problems to formulate a joint strategy for corrective measures.

Dr Jamil said there was a dire need to raise voice for the rights of children, especially those under the age of five years.

“We are making efforts to discuss all issues relating of malnutrition and stunting with policymakers and legislators for appropriate steps,” he said.

The expert said it was the basic right of the children to be breastfed during the first two years of birth.

He said many children were out of schools, who should be enrolled without delay as it was the constitutional right of every child to get education.

Dr Jamil urged legislators and policymakers to take necessary actions to address issues relating to children on priority basis.

Mohammad Iqbal said malnutrition and stunting was the biggest issue of the province for which the government had mobilised appropriate financial resources and had taken appropriate steps.

He said efforts were being made to strictly implement the relevant laws to discourage the use formula milk and other supplement products among newborns during the first six months of birth.

“It is the duty of all segments of society, especially media, to create public awareness to ensure the protection to child rights,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2017