EDITORIAL: The state of women’s health in Pakistan has long been undermined by governmental neglect and deeply ingrained societal norms, leading to limited access to healthcare and a persistent cycle of poor health outcomes for women across the country.
This stark reality was recently reinforced in a report presented at a moot organised by the Ministry of National Health Services and prepared under the aegis of Nutrition International, an NGO working to eliminate malnutrition among developing countries.
The report, even at a glance, paints an alarming picture of the state of women’s health in Pakistan. Anemia afflicts a staggering 41 percent of Pakistani women, with well over 900,000 cases of the condition emerging annually among pregnant women and adolescent girls alone.
In fact, Pakistan has the fourth highest prevalence of anemia among women and children in South Asia, and 35th highest in the world.
The dismal state of maternal nutrition has in turn ensured that the country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region, hovering around 186 deaths per 100,000 live births while it has also led to insufficient breastfeeding, resulting in increased incidence of breast and ovarian cancers, with 2,000 mothers losing their lives to these illnesses annually.
The abovementioned figures go far beyond mere statistics; they tell a tragic story of deep-seated neglect and enduring suffering. Behind each statistic lies a life impacted by inadequate care, unmet needs and entirely preventable hardships.
Moreover, maternal under-nutrition has also had a direct impact on the state of child health in the country as it contributes to 1.4 million cases of low birth weight annually.
And with malnourished mothers experiencing difficulties with breastfeeding, this has resulted in inadequate infant nutrition, further perpetuating the cycle of poor health. In fact, low breastfeeding results in a staggering 6.9 million annual cases of diarrhoea among infants, 19,000 cases of child obesity and 30,525 child deaths every year.
The dreary state of maternal and child health, apart from being a national tragedy, also carries profound economic implications, as the resulting healthcare costs and lost productivity significantly strain the nation’s resources and hinder economic development.
According to Nutrition International, Pakistan loses at least $17 billion every year due to under-nutrition, while there are serious economic costs related to low breastfeeding as well, amounting to $28 billion annually.
It is clear, then, that this present state of maternal and child health is nothing short of an emergency and necessitates an equally urgent and comprehensive response. The federal government’s pledge to accelerate the implementation of the Pakistan Maternal Nutrition Strategy 2022-27, therefore, is welcome as it aims to provide a comprehensive maternal nutrition package starting from preconception, pregnancy to postpartum care.
However, given that health is a provincial subject, the success of any federal strategy for improving maternal nutrition hinges on securing buy-in from all provinces and ensuring seamless implementation at the provincial level.
Furthermore, all federal and provincial stakeholders must ensure that policies to combat maternal malnutrition encompass improving access to nutritional education and nutritional supplements, as well as strengthening healthcare systems, promoting food security, supporting breastfeeding, and also addressing underlying social determinants of health, such as poverty, education and gender inequality.
There is also a need to acknowledge that the prevalence of girl-child marriages in the country has exacerbated issues of anemia, malnutrition, and maternal and infant mortality. Therefore, combating child marriages must be a key focus in the fight against maternal and infant malnutrition.
Ending this intergenerational cycle of ill-health and neglect demands collective commitment and sustained efforts to ensure that the next generation grows up healthier and free from the burden of preventable malnutrition.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024