MULTAN: United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the IRMNCH programme launched a five-day screening to check malnutrition among kids under 5, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls at Govt Workers Welfare School here on Monday.
Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department South Punjab Mahar M Hayat Lak inaugurated the screening campaign.
Director General Health Services South Punjab Dr. Majar Muhammad Iqbal, Programme Director Dr Mehboob Hasnain Qureshi, CEO District Health Authority, Dr. Faisal Raza Qaisrani, Deputy Director IRMNCH South Dr. Zohaib Hasan, Health Specialist UNICEF Dr. Imran, a large number of teachers and students of the school participated.
Addressing the event, DG Health South Punjab Dr. Mehr Mohammad Iqbal, Deputy Director IRMNCH South Dr. Zohaib Hasan, Health Specialist UNICEF Dr. Imran and other speakers discussed the effectiveness of mother feed in controlling malnutrition.
The speakers said that the campaign would continue from October 16 to October 23.
In the first phase, the drive is being organized in five districts of South Punjab including Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Leh, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh.
Children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls will be sensitized to malnutrition.
The speakers informed that mother’s milk mus free to protect kids from lifelong disabilities as the kids suffering from malnutrition can be treated up to the age of five years.
Mahar Muhammad Hayat Lak said that malnutrition has a profound effect not only on physical but also on mental development, adding that mother’s milk is a complete diet.
He maintained that marketed formula milk cannot be a substitute for mother’s milk in any case.
He said that a healthy mother is the guarantor of healthy future generations.
The nutrition programme with the support of UNICEF is a comprehensive programme to control malnutrition through which free treatment facilities are being provided to malnourished children and women.
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