Need for integrated nutrition policy stressed

The two-day Sindh multi-sectoral nutritional workshop concluded on Tuesday with an emphasis on integrated nutrition policy, political commitment, uninterrupted flow of funds as well as strong monitoring and evaluation arrangements to tackle the issue of malnutrition.

Participants in the forum, organised by the Sindh planning and development department and Save the Children, agreed that the education, agriculture, social security and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for All (WASH) were required to be made more active in terms of province-specific planning, capacity and productivity, while addressing the aspects of nutrition and under-performance, particularly in case of children under five years and women.

In his opening remarks, deputy country director of Save the Children Dr Amanullah Khan said that undernourishment and its impact on children’s performance and work productivity was one of the many development challenges Pakistan and Sindh were faced with.

“Addressing the problem would only cost a small fraction of the GDP amount being lost due to malnutrition in Pakistan,” he said, adding that there was a need to make the private sector more productive, innovative and accountable while motivating them for playing their due role in human development.

Later during a sector-wise group presentation session, speakers were unanimous in their view that the sectors concerned lacked relevant policy guidelines, financial resources, equipment, expertise and workforce to achieve the nutrition-responsive goals.

They highlighted the need for having baseline data and research and development initiatives to know the tasks or inputs required from them and the difference they could make in tackling the issue of malnutrition, in addition to updating of the staffs and public awareness campaigns.

Toufiq Shah of education group called for inclusion of chapters on nutrition in academic courses particularly for adolescent girls. Besides, he said, incentives such as food or cash would encourage enrolment and attendance.

He added that efforts were needed to mobilise donors, private and government resources to meet the financial crunch.

Representing health group, Dr Durre Shahwar referred to the human resource and demanded appointment of nutritional assistants at primary health care units. She also called for baseline survey and information researches, inclusion of nutrition in the medical curriculum and regulation of the private health care settings as well.

The food and agriculture group leader demanded that a policy for fortification of food at the national level be evolved and a clearly defined policy on distribution of land resources and agriculture inputs be announced to ensure fair opportunities to small-scale farmers and tenants in the province.

He also called for enhancing the scope of the ongoing integrated pest management programme, control of fluctuating food prices in local market, and availability of fortified food in rural and urban markets at subsidised rate.

Representing social protection group, Iqbal Ahmed Detho said the government and civil society should collaborate in planning and synergies. He also called for addressing the issue of inadequate political will and interest, inadequate institutional capacity.

Leader of the WASH group said that there was no water policy and a lot was still needed to be done on the sanitation side. He laid emphasis on treatment of all sorts of sewage.

Other participants suggested constitution of a steering committee with focal persons from various sectors. They said a policy should be made for the entire province and public awareness built on this policy.

They called for focusing more on preventive measures for addressing malnutrition. It was said that food security and nutrition objectives be given due priority while conceiving and implementing projects in the agriculture, irrigation, water and drainage sectors.

Some of the participants were of the opinion that nutrition problems could be addressed adequately only through long-term strategies instead of short-term policies.

Unicef’s chief nutritionist Silvia Kaufmann said that a draft of the policy guidance notes and strategic and operation plan would be finalised by September, following which a series of consultative workshops would be held till November, while a final discussion would be held involving the stakeholders for endorsement and launching latest by December 2012.

Sindh Health Director General Dr Feroze Memon, Dr Luc Laviolette, Dr Rozina Mistry and Arshad Mahmood of Save the Children also spoke.

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