Pakistan Faces Severe Maternal and Child Nutrition Crisis
In Pakistan, more than 41% of women suffer from anaemia, with 14.4% being underweight and 24% being overweight. Maternal nutrition is so inadequate that 186 women die per 100,000 live births. Poor breastfeeding practices contribute to 2,000 maternal deaths annually from breast and ovarian cancer and 1,100 deaths from Type II diabetes. Additionally, Pakistan reports 1.4 million cases of low birth weight each year.
The report, titled ‘Cost of Inaction Tool,’ was developed by Nutrition International and presented at the ‘National Policy Dialogue on the Economic Case for Maternal Nutrition,’ organized by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) in Bhurban, Pakistan. According to the report, Pakistan incurs an annual loss of USD 17 billion due to undernutrition, which is about 1% of global income. The report also noted that Pakistan faces 918,154 cases of anaemia among expectant mothers each year. The country ranks fourth in anaemia prevalence among adolescent girls and women in eight South Asian countries and 35th globally out of 201 countries.
Inadequate breastfeeding results in an economic burden of USD 28 billion, caused by 6.9 million cases of diarrhoea, 19,000 instances of childhood obesity, 30,525 child deaths from diarrhoea and pneumonia, and 3,196 maternal deaths from breast and ovarian cancer and Type II diabetes. Earlier reports from the Pakistan National Cluster have highlighted a severe malnutrition crisis, showcasing a dire picture of the nutritional status of millions of Pakistanis, especially children. The report underscores that Pakistan is experiencing the highest rates of malnutrition in its history, driven by factors such as economic hardship, food insecurity, limited healthcare access, and climate and environmental challenges. The report states the situation is quite dire in Pakistan, with stunting and wasting heavily prevalent in the country.
Doubts Revealed
anaemia -: Anaemia is a condition where a person doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues. It can make people feel very tired and weak.
maternal -: Maternal refers to anything related to mothers, especially during pregnancy and childbirth.
live births -: Live births are when babies are born alive, as opposed to being stillborn.
breastfeeding -: Breastfeeding is when a mother feeds her baby with milk directly from her breasts. It is very important for the baby’s health.
diarrhoea -: Diarrhoea is when someone has very loose or watery stools, which can make them very sick, especially if they lose too much water from their body.
childhood obesity -: Childhood obesity is when a child has too much body fat, which can lead to health problems.
USD 17 billion -: USD 17 billion means 17 billion US dollars, which is a lot of money. It shows how much Pakistan loses because of poor nutrition.
undernutrition -: Undernutrition happens when people don’t get enough nutrients from their food, which can make them weak and sick.
South Asian countries -: South Asian countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. They are all located in the southern part of Asia.