Aruchal improves health & nutrition status of women, children

From Our Correspondent

Itagar, Nov 30: Aruchal Pradesh has made considerable improvement in health and nutrition status of women and children over the last decade. Among all the states of India, Aruchal has achieved the fastest decline in stunting rates of under-five children in the last decade. As per the latest estimates, 28.4 per cent of under-five children are stunted in the state. This was disclosed during a day-long state level consultation on Accelerating Progress towards Good Nutrition for All in Aruchal Pradesh here on Tuesday, an official comminique informed here today.

The consultation was aimed at discussing the lessons and challenges involved in improving nutritiol indices with key stakeholders from the state. It was hosted jointly by the state directorate of Family Welfare, State Health Society, tiol Health Mission (NHM) in collaboration with the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and the India Institute of Public Health Shillong (IIPHS). The meeting was organised to dissemite findings of the India Health Report: Nutrition 2015 (IHR) for Aruchal Pradesh.

Director of Health Services Dr Moji Jini emphasized on the need to upscale awareness on nutrition and added that many other factors related to health care like, hygiene, sanitation, and safe drinking water should be taken care of for overall improvement of health of the people.

Expressing concern at the high percentage of severe anemia cases in the state, Dr Jini said that focus should be shifted to identify the main causes for iron deficiency in the state. He further advocated that research should be conducted on food habits, genetic and region with assistance of NGO or public health foundation of India and Indian institute of public health in this regard. Dr Jini also released the Indian health report 2015-Aruchal Pradesh dashboard on the occasion.

NHM Mission Director P N Thungon stressed for strengthening the inter-sectoral convergence and synergy with various departments to accelerate progress towards good nutritions and urged the stake holders to carry forward the message to proactively work to eradicate malnutrition through health nutrition education and innovative intervention.

Director Family welfare Dr M Lego in his address remarked that the problem of malnutrition was invariably much worse in urban areas which need to be addressed. He also emphasised on focusing more in locally available food to maintain the balanced diet and added that nutrition literacy was the need of hour not only for uneducated but even for educated also.

Director IIPH Sandra Albert addressing the gathering observed that the people do not go hungry but they are malnourished as their food lacks balanced diet.

Deficiency of vitamin A, iron deficiency are prevalent in the state she said while adding that just prescribing iron pills and vitamins was just a short term treatment and the state needs permanent solution to prevent the deficiency and control malnutrition.

“Despite the commendable improvements in nutritiol status, micronutrient deficiency in women and children continues to be a problem in the Northeast including Aruchal Pradesh,” she added.

Presenting key findings from the state dashboard, Dr Neha Raykar, lead economist from PHFI and author on the IHR emphasised that strategies that accelerate improvements in child stunting in Aruchal Pradesh would need to focus on health of adolescent girls and women as well as their educatiol and socioeconomic status.

“Nutrition is considered critical for human and economic development and we need to invest for accelerating human economic and tiol development,” she added.