PESHAWAR, Nov 30: NWFP’s Director-General Health Services Dr Jalilur Rahman on Thursday directed for chalking out a strategy to ensure provision of balanced diet to the people and overcome the challenge of malnutrition.

He was addressing at a workshop arranged to finalise the development of PC-1 on nutrition here on Thursday.

The workshop, jointly organised by the provincial health department and TAMA and was attended by health experts, nutritionists, EDOs and representatives of international agencies.

Dr Rahman said that because of the lack of awareness about balanced diet, the nutrition situation was worsening day by day.

He said thousands of children and women were facing health complications because of non-nutrient food while a large number of children and women were perishing because of poor nutrition every year.

He said malnutrition was also a leading cause of economic backwardness and low educational performance. He said the Provincial Government despite resource constraints was taking strides to overcome nutritional problems with the assistance of donor agencies.

Dr. Jalil asked participants of the workshop to give their valuable inputs to devise an efficient mechanism for ensuring balance food.

Nutrition specialist, Dr. Pervez Iqbal Paracha said half of the population of the country was faced with the problem of malnutrition. Similarly, he said 50 per cent of the population of the country was iodine deficient, 60 per cent iron while 32 per cent of children were facing vitamin A deficiency.

Around 25 per cent children are born with low weight because of unbalance diet, he maintained.

He said: “Unbalanced diet is causing obesity problems to 10 per cent of the population of the country.”

Deputy Director Health Dr Mohammad Zaheen also addressed the workshop. Participants of the workshop gave technical inputs for chalking out a smart strategy for combating nutritional problems and mobilising public opinion.—APP