CHINIOT: The Nashonuma (growth) programme initiated in Chiniot district by the health department in collaboration with the Benazir Income Support Programme and World Food Programme is not only helping in preventing malnutrition and stunting in children and mothers but also brought down maternal and infant mortality rate to almost nil in delivery cases during 2023.

Looming poverty, unemployment and limited access to balanced diet for most of the rural population has resulted in deficiencies and imbalances in the intake of energy and nutrients which is resulting in stunting (low height), wasting (low weight) and micro-nutrients deficiencies.

According to the National Nutritional Status of Children survey conducted in 2018, there were 40.2pc of the children aged 0-59 months who stunted, 17.7pc wasted, 28.9pc were underweight. To address the malnutrition in children and pregnant and lactating mothers, the Nashonuma Programme was launched by the health department in collaboration with the BISP and WFP in all 158 districts of the country.In Chiniot, 7114 pregnant and lactating women and children aged 0-59 months whose mothers were beneficiaries of the BISP, were registered. They are now being provided antenatal and postnatal health care through a network of 424 lady health workers (LHWs), 33 basic health units, three rural health centres, two tehsil headquarter hospitals and a district headquarter hospital.

District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Sohail Tariq told Dawn that the department is identifying pregnant women (beneficiaries of BISP) through door-to- door surveys by LHWs. They have also started a free ambulance service 1034 having a network of 11 ambulances to transfer pregnant women to nearby health facility where doctors examine them and conduct ultrasound. They are given necessary medication, food supplements before shifting to home.

Each woman gets a cash transfer of Rs 3,000 though her registered Jazz account.

“The antenatal care has helped us in conducting safe deliveries at public sector health facilities. There were 16,102 deliveries carried out during year 2023 and none of the fatality of mother or the newborn was reported,” Mr Sohail Tariq said.

Moreover, children aged 0-59 months whose mothers were registered beneficiaries were also registered under this programme. They were provided food supplement packs on a monthly basis.Muhammad Asif Raza, Deputy Commissioner/Administrator of DHA, told Dawn the health authority was also focusing on elimination of other reasons of stunting which included frequent infections, poor hygiene and sanitation, lack of safe drinking water, household food insecurity, poverty, minimum acceptable diet, poor birth spacing, poor maternal nutrition, low maternal education.”We are providing awareness to mothers to prevent their children against frequent infections, improving health and hygiene in rural areas through special campaigns under “Chamkain Gay Dehat”.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2024