ISLAMABAD: While four out of 10 Pakistanis are obese or overweight and 37pc of the population has hypertension, the government has decided to formulate a national healthy diet policy to address the burden of disease.

Director Nutrition at the Ministry of National Health Services Dr Baseer Khan Achakzai announced this while speaking to the participants of an event.

“To address the challenge of ensuring the availability and consumption of healthy, safe and nutritious diets by all population groups, the government of Pakistan is committed to formulating a National Healthy Diet Policy with the technical assistance of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). This policy will provide strategic guidance for the country to ensure the provision of a healthy and nutritious diet for all and formulate robust approaches in light of international best practices that will help us address the challenges occurring because of the consumption of unhealthy diets,” he said.

Plan aims at cutting down on disease burden, says official

On the occasion, the ministry and a team of GAIN, led by the director of policy and external relations Steve Godfrey - currently visiting Pakistan - formed a national technical advisory and advocacy group for the formulation of the “Pakistan National Healthy Diet Policy.”

Mr Godfrey said: “Globally, three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet and in Pakistan more than two third of the country’s population, which is about 68pc of Pakistanis, cannot afford a healthy diet.

Poor diet contributes to six of the top 10 risk factors for the global disease burden. We are confident that this policy provides a roadmap for the country to ensure the provision of a nutritious and healthy diet for its population but also overcomes the challenges posed by a high prevalence of malnutrition.”

According to the National Nutrition Survey 2018, more than 40pc of Pakistani children under five years were stunted and almost 18 per cent were wasted. Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) disproportionately affect people in low- and middle-income countries where over three quarters of the deaths occur due to NCDs. For Pakistan, the burden of NCDs is on the rise.

According to the NCD steps survey 2014-15, four out of 10 Pakistanis, that is about 41.3 per cent population, are obese or overweight while 37pc have hypertension.

The Covid-19 pandemic created serious implications by further deteriorating the situation and consequently increasing diet-related diseases. Pakistan has the third highest burden of type 2 diabetes worldwide with more than 33 million cases.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2022