Beginning of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth can prevent up to 20 percent of new-natal deaths. Health experts said this at the launch of 'Behaviour change mass media campaign for reduction of malnutrition,' being organized by Nutrition Support Programme, Health Department Government of Sindh, in collaboration with ZEEKAY FILMS at a hotel, here on Thursday evening.
Secretary Health Dr Fazalullah Pechuho, Coordinator to the Sindh Chief Minister on Nutrition Hussain Ali, and Programme Manager NSP Dr Zahoor Ahmad Baloch highlighted astounding facts and figures on the said issue. They said every two in five children are underweight in Sindh. One in seven children suffers from acute malnutrition and only 29 percent children are breast-fed in the province. For every thousand children that are born, 82 children die before their first birthday and one in 104 children die before their 5th birthday.
Dr Baloch said that the NSP is working in nine districts viz. Badin, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Tando Mohammad Khan, Sanghar, Larkana, Kashmore, Qambar-Shahdadkot, and Jacobabad.
Moreover, it was also informed that the programme is aimed at reducing prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age from 15 percent women to 50 percent in three years, as well as to lower the percentage of wasting by 30 percent during the same period and stunting 1 percent per year in children under the age of five.
These targets would be achieved by community and facility-based intervention coupled with mass media behaviour-change communication in local and national languages through short documentaries dramas, TVs, anthems, feature films, and many other creative means.
The project is being implemented through provincial nutrition cell, Sindh health department along with other partners including Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI), etc, in uncovered areas in the community. Sana Bucha, brand ambassador of the NSB spoke on various objectives of the campaign and ways to achieve them.
Dr Zeeshan Shaikh emphasized the importance of media in effectively tackling the challenge of malnutrition and urged the media to play its role in the fight against malnutrition. He stressed that media can be a vital tool in influencing the behaviours of community.