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ISLAMABAD: Over 41 per cent of women in Pakistan suffer from anaemia, with 14.4pc being underweight and 24pc overweight, according to a new report.
The state of maternal nutrition is so bleak that 186 women die per 100,000 live births; suboptimal breastfeeding leads to 2,000 deaths in mothers due to breast and ovarian cancer and 1,100 deaths due to type-II diabetes annually.
Moreover, there are 1.4 million cases of low birth weight in Pakistan each year.
This has been revealed in the ‘Cost of Inaction Tool’ developed by Nutrition International. The report was presented at the ‘National Policy Dialogue on Economic Case for Maternal Nutrition’, organised by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) in Bhurban.
Report says country loses $17bn every year due to under-nutrition
There are 918,154 new cases of anaemia among pregnant women and adolescent girls (15 to 49) every year.
Pakistan has the fourth highest prevalence of anaemia in adolescent girls and women in eight South Asian countries and the 35th highest in the 201 countries worldwide.
Nutrition International stated Pakistan loses at least $17bn every year — equivalent to 1pc of global income — due to undernutrition.
The cost of low breastfeeding in Pakistan is $28bn as the country reports 6.9m cases of diarrhoea, 19,000 cases of child obesity, 30,525 child deaths (due to diarrhoea and pneumonia), 3,196 maternal deaths (due to breast and ovarian cancer and Type II diabetes).
The declaration was endorsed by the federal health ministry; health departments of the four provinces, GB and AJK; and other stakeholders, including WHO, Unicef, WFP and others.
‘Bhurban declaration’
During the event, the federal government also signed the ‘Bhurban Declaration’ with the stakeholders. It pledges to accelerate the implementation of ‘Pakistan Maternal Nutrition Strategy 2022-27’ through a unified maternal nutrition package from preconception to postpartum care.
It commits to integrating maternal nutrition into existing health services and universal health coverage frameworks, increasing public funding for maternal nutrition programmes and strengthening response mechanisms for addressing women’s nutritional needs during emergencies.
“The current maternal nutrition indicators underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition”, said Dr Fouzia Hanif, the deputy director of Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health and Nutrition at the federal health ministry.
Emphasising the critical role of maternal health in the overall development of society, she called for coordinated efforts from all stakeholders to develop a holistic approach built on Pakistan Costed Multi-Sectoral National Nutrition Action Plan 2023-2030.
She expressed hope that the declaration will serve as a powerful testament to making sustained progress towards advancing maternal nutrition in Pakistan.
Nutrition International official Dr Irfanullah said: “Our efforts focus on providing essential micronutrient supplementation, strengthening the capacity of healthcare providers, and ensuring quality care for positive pregnancy outcomes and safe births”.
Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2024
Ikram Junaidi is a staff correspondent for Dawn with over 25 years of experience. He covers national politics, particularly opposition parties, as well as public health issues with a specific focus on polio eradication.
