‘Malnutrition costs country Rs4.76tr annually’

LAHORE:

The economic burden of malnutrition in Pakistan is estimated at over Rs4.76 trillion annually due to productivity losses, increased healthcare costs and reduced cognitive potential in children, according to a Cost of Inaction tool of Nutrition International, a not-for-profit agency.

This was disclosed in a workshop along with a warning that Punjab faces high rates of stunting, wasting and anaemia among children, as well as widespread micronutrient deficiencies among women of reproductive age.

According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2018, in Punjab, 31.5 per cent of children under five suffer from stunting, 7.5% from wasting and 21.2% are underweight, while 42.2% of women and 52% of children under five are affected by anaemia.

Food fortification, the addition of essential micronutrients such as iron, folic acid, and vitamins A and D to commonly consumed staples like wheat flour, edible oil and salt, is recognised as a cost-effective public health intervention. Every dollar invested in fortification can generate an average 27 times return through disease prevention, improved productivity and enhanced lifetime earnings.

Fortifying a 20kg bag of wheat flour in the country costs approximately Rs20 and 1kg of edible oil 75 paisa, making it an affordable intervention with wide population reach.

During a discussion session, participants highlighted that Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had enacted mandatory fortification measures, and underscored the need for Punjab, home to the country’s largest population and a major producer of wheat flour, to create an enabling policy and regulatory framework to support sustainable food fortification and safeguard the health of a large segment of the population

Nutrition International Large Scale Food Fortification Senior Programme Manager Zameer Haider said, “We are a nation of full bellies but starving bodies. While many families consume enough food, millions suffer from hidden hunger – a silent deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals that weakens health, limits learning and reduces economic productivity.

Thousands of babies are born each year with severe brain and spinal birth defects, many of which could be prevented through simple iron and folic acid fortification.” He commended the chief minister for her ‘Healthy Punjab’ vision and efforts to improve healthcare infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the University of Health Sciences (UHS) has launched nutrition-centred reforms in the curricula to strengthen preventive healthcare capacity in the province, officials said after a meeting chaired by Vice Chancellor Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore.

Under the plan, all affiliated colleges will establish Nutrition Societies to promote awareness among students, while a Clinical Nutrition Faculty Council will guide academic review and research integration.

The reforms developed in collaboration with UNICEF Pakistan integrate structured nutrition competencies into MBBS and other undergraduate and postgraduate programmes so that future clinicians can assess nutritional status, detect deficiencies early and incorporate preventive dietary counselling into routine care.

The participants also reviewed related initiatives, including a certification course in family medicine for general practitioners aimed at strengthening maternal and child health services at primary care level. In addition, a geriatric clinic is being set up at the Services Institute of Medical Sciences to assess nutrition-related decline among older adults and promote healthy ageing through evidence-based care.

Professor Rathore said the initiative was designed to respond to gaps in national health evidence. “Existing surveys provide useful direction but lack detailed data on elderly nutrition and limited information on adolescent girls during critical growth years. Academic institutions must prepare doctors who can address these realities even before new datasets emerge,” he stated.

He added that embedding clinical nutrition into mainstream teaching would help shift healthcare from treatment toward prevention.

Participants noted that Pakistan’s most recent comprehensive national nutrition data dates back to 2018, which underscores the need for updated research and stronger clinical capacity. They said the revised curricula position nutrition as a core clinical competency rather than a supplementary topic.

University of Child Health Sciences Pro-VC Professor Junaid Rashid stressed that dietary habits within households were shaping child health outcomes.