Malnutrition, food insecurity major concern for country
Monday, 30 March 2009
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr AFM Ruhal Haque Sunday said the government would soon review the health policy that will be based on the initiatives taken by the previous Awami League (AL) government in 1996, reports UNB.
"The health policy of previous AL government will be reviewed, bring about some specific changes. People will get a fresh health policy within 30 to 45 days," the health minister said.
He came up with the government's wish in health sector while talking to journalists just before attending a seminar on "Presentation of Preliminary Results on Household Food Security and Nutrition Assessment-Impacts of Changing Food Prices" held at a city hotel Sunday.
Asked about the nutrition needed for children, he said they would be able to ensure nutritious foods for children within one year as price of essentials that contain nutrition have already come down sharply in recent days.
He claimed that they could not send the message to each mother about the importance of breastfeeding in the first six months apart from providing nutritious foods after first six months.
"We must reach the message to the mothers so that no child faces malnutrition," he told his listeners.
Earlier, a joint study of World Food Programme, UNICEF and Institute of Public Health Nutrition showed that one in four households in Bangladesh has food insecurity while two million children aged six months to five years are affected by malnutrition.
Out of those two million malnourished children, half a million are suffering from acute malnutrition, a highly vulnerable condition where the child needs appropriate management and treatment. Given that the nationwide survey was carried out during a harvest season, the malnutrition levels are expected to be even higher during periods of food scarcity, the study revealed.
The survey was undertaken to assess the impact of the food price increases in Bangladesh in 2008. The survey showed a clear link between malnutrition and household food insecurity. The food insecure households have also higher percentage of malnourished children.
According to the survey, 58 per cent of the households claimed that they have insufficient food during the last twelve months. Real household income dropped by 12 per cent between 2005 and 2008.
At the end of 2008, food expenditure represented 62 per cent of total household expenditure, 10 percentage points higher than the national average of 2005. To cope with higher food prices, people have got themselves into a deeper spiral of debt from which it will take months to recover.
The survey underlines the need to improve caring practices by parents- strengthened and expanding ongoing efforts to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the babies and to educate families on optimum infant and young child feeding practices.
While highlighting on the findings of the survey WFP representative John Aylieff said even if the prices of food are now falling, the crisis is far from being over.
"The proportion of households' income that is now being spent on food is already higher than in 2005 and the impact of the global financial crisis on the poor is a major concern going forward," he said.
"The health policy of previous AL government will be reviewed, bring about some specific changes. People will get a fresh health policy within 30 to 45 days," the health minister said.
He came up with the government's wish in health sector while talking to journalists just before attending a seminar on "Presentation of Preliminary Results on Household Food Security and Nutrition Assessment-Impacts of Changing Food Prices" held at a city hotel Sunday.
Asked about the nutrition needed for children, he said they would be able to ensure nutritious foods for children within one year as price of essentials that contain nutrition have already come down sharply in recent days.
He claimed that they could not send the message to each mother about the importance of breastfeeding in the first six months apart from providing nutritious foods after first six months.
"We must reach the message to the mothers so that no child faces malnutrition," he told his listeners.
Earlier, a joint study of World Food Programme, UNICEF and Institute of Public Health Nutrition showed that one in four households in Bangladesh has food insecurity while two million children aged six months to five years are affected by malnutrition.
Out of those two million malnourished children, half a million are suffering from acute malnutrition, a highly vulnerable condition where the child needs appropriate management and treatment. Given that the nationwide survey was carried out during a harvest season, the malnutrition levels are expected to be even higher during periods of food scarcity, the study revealed.
The survey was undertaken to assess the impact of the food price increases in Bangladesh in 2008. The survey showed a clear link between malnutrition and household food insecurity. The food insecure households have also higher percentage of malnourished children.
According to the survey, 58 per cent of the households claimed that they have insufficient food during the last twelve months. Real household income dropped by 12 per cent between 2005 and 2008.
At the end of 2008, food expenditure represented 62 per cent of total household expenditure, 10 percentage points higher than the national average of 2005. To cope with higher food prices, people have got themselves into a deeper spiral of debt from which it will take months to recover.
The survey underlines the need to improve caring practices by parents- strengthened and expanding ongoing efforts to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the babies and to educate families on optimum infant and young child feeding practices.
While highlighting on the findings of the survey WFP representative John Aylieff said even if the prices of food are now falling, the crisis is far from being over.
"The proportion of households' income that is now being spent on food is already higher than in 2005 and the impact of the global financial crisis on the poor is a major concern going forward," he said.