Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi today chaired meeting on malnutrition in Pakistan and possible solutions, at PM Office. The meeting was briefed on the nutrition situation in Pakistan in the context of undernutrition and the losses resulting from reduced cognitive development in children and high mortality of women and children. The meeting was further informed that malnutrition leads to non productivity, unemployment, poverty and crime at the national level. The meeting observed that with the exception of few provinces, there is no integrated and mainstreamed strategy at the national level, and discussed various solutions to address malnutrition in the short as well as the long term. In the short term, the meeting decided to devise a strategy to launch mandatory Food Fortification Strategy for staple foods. In the long term, various solutions were discussed for devising a comprehensive multisector nutrition strategy at the national level in consultation with all the stakeholders. The meeting further observed that there is a need for public awareness on this significant issue and media need to highlight this human issue through public interest messaging. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi directed the concerned ministries to pilot proposals for a comprehensive strategy to address the issue of malnutrition in the country. The Prime Minister stressed that an integrated strategy needs to be implemented at the national level for which the political will is a must. The federal government will extend its all out support in addressing the malnutrition issue in Pakistan and making our future generations healthy and productive, the Prime Minister stated. The meeting was attended by Provincial Minister for Labor Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Senator Sadia Abbasi, Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, Ms. Saira Iftikhar (MPA), Dr. Aliya Aftab (MPA), Mr. Ramesh Singh Arora (MPA), senior anchorpersons and analysts, nutrition experts and representatives of regional nutrition organizations, and other senior government officials. *****
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