ISLAMABAD: Saira Afzal Tarar, Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, on Thursday, said that joint efforts were needed to address widespread micronutrient deficiencies in children of the country.
While addressing the launching ceremony of Food Fortification Programme, the minister said that a multi-sectoral approach should be adopted to improve nutrition situation. The Ministry of National Health Services has constituted a National Fortification Alliance to strengthen coordination among different government departments, regulatory bodies, development partners and industry, she said.
“We have also expanded this alliance to provinces and its provincial chapters have also been constituted to support implementation of fortification interventions at provinces,” she added.
“We have already an example of great success under this alliance where the micronutrient initiative, World Food Programme and other stakeholders worked closely with the ministry to reduce iodine deficiency disorders through universal salt iodisation,” the minister said.
Tarar said food fortification was an easy and cost effective solution to address deficiency of minerals and vitamins. “We could reach population at large without making any change in the eating habits of our people,” she added.
The fortification of wheat flour with iron and folic acid and edible oil with vitamin A and D would help reduce the hidden hunger from population, Tarar said.
Our women and children would be prevented from deficiencies of these essential micronutrients, which were imperative for good health and nutrition, she added. She further said that Food Fortification Programme has a great potential to support the improvement in the nutritional status of millions of Pakistani people, which currently was causing a loss of estimated two to three percent of GDP annually mainly because of less potential for work, low output and productivity for development.
Recently, the government announced tax exemption on premix, which is a great step towards a successful programme of fortification in Pakistan, she added.
