The second day of a two-day international conference, ‘Act For Nutrition: The Emergency We Can No Longer Ignore’, is being held at Islamabad’s Serena Hotel. The conference aims to address Pakistan’s persistent nutrition and stunting crisis.
On the first day, experts at the conference warned that more than four in 10 children under five were stunted and malnutrition was costing Pakistan close to $17 billion annually.
They also said that malnutrition was produced by a combination of poor diets, inadequate healthcare, weak water and sanitation services, poverty and other factors, making a multisectoral response essential.
The two-day conference is bringing together policymakers, international development leaders, health professionals and nutrition experts to confront the burgeoning crisis and build momentum for urgent, coordinated action.
View the full agenda here.
11:49am - Non-profit head says people do not ‘believe in the system’
Shahid Lone, the chairman of the Allah Walay Foundation, said that if policymakers and those responsible for implementation did not put their “soul” into what they were doing, then what they were aiming for “would never work”.
He acknowledged that his take was more “philosophical”. He highlighted that government officials say one thing on stage and another when they are behind the scenes.
“We have policies, we have departments, but we have people who do not believe in the system,” he said. He questioned how those who did not have vision or believed in their work could implement policies.
11:37am - ‘Behaviour of healthcare providers pathetic’
Dr Farhana Memon, the programme director at the Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health, also criticised the behaviour of healthcare workers.
“The behaviour of healthcare providers is pathetic,” Dr Memon said, noting that most healthcare workers did not counsel patients on family planning, nutrition, or vaccination.
“We have been trying to change the behaviour of the community for the past decade, but now it is time to change the behaviour of healthcare providers.”
“If a person or a woman comes into contact with you, please don’t waste the opportunity,” she urged.
11: 34am - Expert decries lack of dedicated funding for nutrition
Programme Director of Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health Dr Farhana Memon decried the lack of funds to address malnutrition.
“If you want to [translate] policies into action, you should have some cost,” she said, adding that donors largely funded efforts to end malnutrition.
“This is not the solution,” Memon remarked, adding that nutrition should be treated as a separate entity.
She further urged that the government must utilise every access point as an opportunity to counsel families about nutrition.
11:25am - Session on multisectoral approach to nutrition begins
A session on the multisectoral approach to nutrition has now begun.
11:20am - KP CM says govt working on addressing malnutrition
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, in a video message, said that facilitation centres were being established to address malnutrition among pregnant women and young children.
He said that the provincial government, under PTI founder Imran Khan’s vision, was working on this issue and others.
He ended by thanking DawnMedia for highlighting malnutrition and other social issues.
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