Azra meets Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordon at World Food Programme

KARACHI: Azra Fazal Pechuho, Minister for Health & Population Welfare, Sindh, met with HRH Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordon, Special Advisor Mother & Child Nutrition at World Food Programme. 

Mr Chris Kaye, Country Director for WFP in Pakistan, and Qasim Siraj Soomro, Parliamentary Secretary of Health, were part of the meeting as well. The meeting presented and discussed the Accelerated Action Plan (AAP) for Reduction of Stunting and Malnutrition. 

AAP has been a Government of Sindh programme for 10 years, from 2017 to 2026 and covers both nutrition-specific as well as nutrition-sensitive interventions. AAP is implemented with the following vital sectors/GoS Departments: Health, Livestock, Fisheries, Agriculture, Population and Welfare, Wash, Education and Social Protection Strategy Unit. 

Multi-sectoral interventions have been successful in 23 districts, whereby the stunting rate was reduced in 7 districts through the implementation and sustainability of Nutrition Specific/Sensitive interventions. 

Through AAP, there have been a total of 990 outpatient therapeutic programmes, 25 nutrition stabilisation centres run, 4636 villages have been made open defecation free, 1905 demos have been held on how to construct household latrines, and 10788 water sources were tested for contamination.

Alongside this, 3588 kitchen gardens were opened, 2252 farmer field schools for women and 920 farmer field schools for men were launched. 20,221 provisions of 5 goats and 10 poultry birds each were distributed, and rs.30,000 was given to pregnant or lactating women to purchase livestock. Thus encouraging and enabling sustainability in income and resources, and nutrition. 

Azra Fazal Pechuho said that nutrition supplements were a costly last resort and that good nutrition must be a steady part of every person's life. 

Even if women are given nutrition supplements at the site of the health facility, she may not have the means to sustain the level of protein, iron and other minerals and vitamins that a healthy girl or woman needs for herself and her baby when she is pregnant and breastfeeding, she added. 

She further said that through a collaboration with the World Bank, the 1000 Days Project aims to offer nutrition monitoring, analysis and supply for a woman and her child up till the child is 2 years of age. This programme offers life skills, breastfeeding support, vocational training, couples counselling, reproductive health counselling, vaccine information, and administration. The programme also offers ambulance service from these project dispensaries for pregnant women in case some complications need a referral to a more appropriate health facility. This will give women the holistic approach they need to make informed decisions. 

Azra said that good health begins before one is born as that is when we can ensure that stunting does not take hold and that mother and child both get enough nutrients to have a healthy and successful pregnancy, delivery and early childhood development. 

For this, Azra stated, it must be ensured that there is food security and that people, especially girls and women, are getting the supplements they need from their routine diet instead of emergency treatment. One thousand days project has already been implemented in some parts of Tharparkar where women are voluntarily availing of its services as this programme is helping their overall health and autonomy. 

Qasim Siraj Soomro said that water contamination is a root cause of malnutrition and ill health. For sustainable food security, water contamination must be managed as this affects agriculture, livestock, and the diet, among many others.