PESHAWAR, Mar 24 (APP): Breaking the 49 years highest inflation record since 1974, Pakistan where around 22 percent of people were already living below the poverty line, may witness a significant increase in malnutrition and stunting among pregnant and lactating mothers and children due to substantial increase in prices of daily use commodities in the wake of last year’s devastated floods that has caused about USD 40 billion losses to the government kitty.
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) report 2023 has revealed that in February last, inflation in the country surged to a record 31.5 percent, which is the highest in the last 49 years since 1974, resulting in record increase in prices of daily use agriculture and non-agriculture commodities including vegetables, fruits, milk and meat prices in open markets in all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The economic, agriculture and health experts feared that such scenario might aggravate problems of stunting, underweight and overweight in children and anemia, Zinc and vitamin A deficiencies in pregnant and lactating mothers could lead to premature births and underweight and weaker neonatal.
Professor Dr Muhammad Naeem of Swabi University told APP that the country where the lower middle-income poverty rate was about USD 3.2 per day and upper middle income poverty rate was around USD 5.5 per day, is likely to push additional 1.9 million household including 12.1 million people into poverty in the wake of the last year floods devastations that played havoc to all socioeconomic sectors including agriculture, livestock and food services.
Resultantly, he said the national poverty ratio was likely to increase by 2.4 to four percent, thus around 26 percent of the country’s population may face great problems to get balanced food, quality health, water and natal care services.
“Normally, 15 to 20pc increase in prices of daily used items including meat, chicken, vegetables, pulses, dairy products and fruits were being witnessed during Ramazan and activation of price-control committees were inevitable to control soaring prices of the food items in the open market,” he said.
In Peshawar, one KG meat of large animal was being sold at Rs800, a dozen eggs on Rs300, one KG milk and yogurt on Rs200, potato on Rs800, tomato on Rs110, onion on Rs150, apple on Rs300, strawberry on Rs300 and lemon on Rs200 per KG which was beyond of purchasing powers of the poor and local income groups.
The National Nutrition Survey has revealed that four out of 10 children under five years of age ie 40.2 percent were stunted, 28.9pc underweight, 9.5pc overweight and 17.7pc suffer from wasting (under height). In rural areas, unnourished children were recorded more compared to urban areas of Pakistan. In urban areas, 34.8pc children stunted, 16.2per wasting, 24pc underweight and 9.6 percent overweight while in rural areas 43.2percent suffered from stunting, 18.6 pc wasting, 31.6pc underweight and 9.4 pc overweight. As many as around 12 million children were underheight ie 40pc in KP, 48.3pc in newly merged districts (NMD), 46.6pc in Gilgit Baltistan, 46.6pc in Balochistan, 45.5pc in Sindh, 36.4pc in Punjab, 32.6 in ICT and 39.3percent in Azad Kashmir.
Similarly, 15 pc unnourished children were suffering from wasting, 15.3pc in Punjab, 23.3pc in Sindh, 18.9pc in Balochistan, 16.1 in AJK, 23pc in NMD and 12.1pc in ICT. Similarly, 12.9pc children were overweight in KP, 9.9pc in Punjab, 5.2pc in Sindh, 16.7 pc in Balochistan, 13.4pc in AJK, 18.6pc in NMD and 5.8pc in ICT.
“Anemia, deficiencies of Vitamin A, hemoglobin and zinc were major causes of stunting in children and underweight birth,” said Dr Riaz Khan, children specialist at Govt hospital Pabbi Nowshera while talking to APP.
He termed inadequate nutrition among mothers during pregnancy as one of the main reasons for malnutrition among children leading to stunting and underweight. The unnourished children and mothers suffer from depression and anxiety, cardiorespiratory disorders and low immunity and poor wound healing and concentration in studies and jobs.
Dr Riaz said nearly 45.8pc neonatal start breastfeeding in the first hour of birth out of which 44.6pc in rural areas and 47 percent in urban regions in the country against 50pc target set by the WHO, adding the proportion of children breastfed for first six months in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was estimated as 60.7pc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 59pc in NMD, 42.1pc in Azad Kashmir, 43.9pc in Balochistan, 57.6 percent in ICT and 54.9pc in Gilgit-Baltistan.
“One out of three children received complementary food between 6 to eight months i.e. 35.9pc at the national level while 14.2pc children have an access to minimum dietary diversity,18.2pc minimum meal frequency and 3.6pc in the minimum acceptable diet.”
The KP health department report 2022 has revealed that approximately 42 neonatal out of 1,000 live births die per year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where 64 out of 1000 kids under five years of age expire while the infant mortality rate was about 53 out of 1000 live births.
“KP health department report prepared by the PTI government itself spoke of the poor performance of the PTI rulers, who failed to strengthen mother-children nutrition programs despite 10 years long rule,” said Ikhtair Wali, PMLN KP spokesman.
He added the challenges of stunting, malnutrition and pregnancy-related deaths could have been averted if proper attention was paid by the PTI rulers. He accused the former PTI government of its failure in the construction of mothers-children hospitals in the province.
Dr Riaz said women of reproductive age of 15-49 years were bearing double burden of malnutrition and as per the national nutrition survey one in seven women i.e. 14.4 percent undernourished and 36.9pc food insecure. He said malnutrition and stunting in women and children could prove fatal and underscored the need for arresting inflation and price hike to provide a balanced diet to all.
Javeera Qazi, spokesman, Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) KP told APP that anti stunting and malnutrition program was launched in the country under which Rs1,500 per boy and Rs2000 per girl was being given to all registered pregnant and lactating mothers and those with children under two years of age for specialized nutritious food and immunizations services.
Besides Khyber and Upper Dir of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, she said the program was also launched at Bagh, Ghizer, Hunza, Kharmang, Kharan, Badin, and Rajanpur where BISP nutrition experts were facilitating the beneficiaries women.
Mustaqeem Khan, senior planning officer KP health department told APP that 56 sites in NMD were identified for the construction of mothers-children hospitals, basic health units and rural health centres.
The feasibility study of the project costing Rs12,440 million was completed besides allocation of Rs3,900 million for 2022-23, he said, adding extra allocation was made to mothers and children nutrition program in budget while a modern paraplegic centre was being constructed at Bakakhel Bannu with an estimated cost of Rs900 million. To protect mothers-children and the general public from chronic diseases, he said the KP Govt was spending Rs1.1 billion on purchase of medicines.
To boost balanced nutrition for mothers-children and prevent non-communicable diseases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said a foreign bank would provide USD 90 million for the project to be completed in the next five years.
The district headquarters hospitals were being strengthened in terms of equipment, medicines and gynecology services, he said adding the Asian Development Bank has provided USD 25 million out of USD 100 million committed amount for the project to be completed by 2026.
The KP government would spend Rs2 billion on strengthening and running of BHUs and primary healthcare centres by establishing mothers-children wards initially in 15 districts besides spending Rs1.5 billion on maternal and newborn’s health and allied services in the province.
APP/fam/taj (APP Feature Service)
