KARACHI: Raising alarm over Pakistan’s ranking of 106th among 123 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2025, which classifies its hunger level as “serious”, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has called upon the government to prioritise nutritional interventions.

“This is not merely an economic issue but a catastrophic public health emergency that threatens the cognitive and physical future of the nation. The GHI 2025 score of 26.0 is an indictment of our failed policies on food security and nutrition,” the association stated.

Hospitals and clinics in the country are overburdened not just with acute illnesses but also with the tragic long-term consequences of malnutrition, it added.

“When nearly 40 per cent of our children are stunted, we are condemning an entire generation to reduced potential, impacting their learning, productivity and overall health throughout their lives,” the association stated, while demanding immediate measures to address the challenge.

It urged the government to declare a National Nutrition Emergency and implement targeted subsidies and social safety nets to ensure that the poorest households have economic access to nutritious food rather than just caloric staples.

“The government must immediately scale up initiatives focusing on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception to two years of age, to combat stunting and wasting. Priority should be given to fortifying essential foods such as wheat flour, salt and oil with vital micronutrients — iron, zinc and vitamin A,” the association stated.

It also emphasised the provision of clean water and sanitation, describing the lack of these basic facilities as a primary driver of malnutrition.

“The government must urgently invest in these sectors to ensure that food is properly utilised by the body, thereby improving child health indicators.

The country needs an agricultural revolution in which farmers are provided incentives to grow drought and flood-resistant crop varieties and adopt efficient irrigation techniques to ensure maximum production despite climate shocks,” the association said.

“The time for lip service is over. The PMA strongly demands that the government adopt a ‘hea­lth-in-all-policies’ app­r­oach, recognising that food security is indivisible from national security and public health.

We need a fundamental transformation — an agricultural revolution — not just to feed our people today, but to safeguard their health and future prosperity,” it added.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2025