KABUL: In a recent update, the Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan has indicated a slight rise in the number of malnourished mothers and children in the country when compared to previous years.
The director of the ministry’s public nutrition department revealed that over 896,000 children and more than 444,000 breastfeeding and pregnant women have sought assistance from malnutrition treatment centers since the commencement of the 1402 solar year.
Mohammad Wazir Hamid, the head of the nutrition department, shared, “A total of 444,541 mothers are now part of the treatment program, and amongst them, nearly 200,000 children have received the necessary treatment. Additionally, 449,000 children with moderate malnutrition have been successfully treated.”
Emphasizing the importance of immediate action, Dr. Mohammad Arif Hassan advised, “Families should prioritize the health of a child right from birth. Providing a child with their mother’s milk from day one is crucial.”
Highlighting a specific case, ten-month-old Hedayatullah has been grappling with malnutrition for the past two months. His mother, Farzana, expressed her struggle, saying, “Due to economic challenges, I find it difficult to provide nutritious food for my child. My husband’s job in a cart doesn’t yield a stable income, making it a struggle to nourish my son properly.”
Residents from Helmand and Uruzgan provinces have echoed similar sentiments regarding the economic hurdles that hinder their ability to provide adequate nutrition for their children. Sayed Reza, a resident of Uruzgan, stated, “We are unable to afford the necessary food for our children.”
Drawing a comparison to the previous solar year (1401), the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Public Nutrition disclosed that 1,963,621 children and 845,155 pregnant and breastfeeding women sought assistance from malnutrition treatment centers nationwide during that period. The upward trend in malnutrition cases underlines the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address the economic challenges and improve access to nutritious food for vulnerable populations, particularly mothers and children.
