LAHORE: A recent screening campaign led by Unicef, in collaboration with the Integrated Reproductive Maternal Newborn, Child Health and Nutrition Programme (IRMNCH), has revealed an alarming level of malnutrition among the children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers in the five districts of south Punjab.

According to the campaign’s findings, a staggering 246,341 children and pregnant/lactating mothers are currently facing acute malnutrition, while an additional 344,877 individuals have moderate malnutrition. The screening drive was concentrated in the flood-affected areas of Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, and Layyah districts.

During the month-long initiative, a substantial 2,463,409 children under the age of five and 76,215 pregnant and lactating mothers were screened in the campaign.

The primary goal of the drive was to scale up nutrition services, detect malnutrition at an early stage, and take timely and effective action against the conditions.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department South Punjab Secretary Mehr Muhammad Hayat Lak chaired a meeting on Wednesday to review outcomes and observations of the screening campaign.

Unicef representatives and IRMNCH officers briefed a meeting about the results of special screening camps in Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan regions affected by last year’s floods, as well as strategies for imparting nutrition awareness in remote areas.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2023