ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Nausheen Hamid on Wednesday apprised the National Assembly that Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved PC-1 worth Rs 312.40 billion of a project to eliminate stunting (Chronic Malnutrition) among children upto five years by 2030.

In response to a question during Question Hour, she said currently there was no proposal under consideration or suggestion under discussion to conduct a large scale National Nutrition Survey to access the nutritional status of children stunting, anaemia, underweight and obesity.

A National Nutrition Survey has recently been conducted in 2018-19 which was launched in September 2019. This was the largest NNS ever conducted in Pakistan with more than 130, 000 house hold in the sample size, she said.

She said according to National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2018, an estimated 40.2% children under the age of five years are stunted (Chronic Malnutrition) and nearly 17.7% are wasted (Acute Malnutrition).

Both these figures exceed WHO emergency threshold levels. NNS 2011 also revealed continued high rates of micronutrient deficiencies in children and women, she said.

Dr Nausheen said a total of 54% children were anaemic, 52% were vitamin A and 63 % were Vitamin D deficient. Similarly, 43% mothers were anaemic 27% suffer from Vitamin A and 80% from Vitamin D deficiency, she said.