Daily Times

The HIV prevalence rate is 0.12 per 1,000 population and tuberculosis incidence is 259 per 100,000 population in Pakistan.

According to the official report available, Pakistan is on track for three out of 14 indicators including Maternal Mortality Rate (per 100,000 live births).

It added all other indicators are either moderately improving or stagnating.

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in Pakistan has declined to 54.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2020 from 55.7 in 2019, while the Neonatal Mortality Rate declined to 40.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2020 from 41.2 in 2019.

The percentage of birth attended by skilled health personnel increased to 69.3 percent in 2020 from 68 percent in 2019.

The Maternal Mortality Ratio fell to 186 maternal deaths per 100,000 births in 2020, from 189 in 2019.

With a population growing at two percent per annum, Pakistan’s contraceptive prevalence rate in 2020 decreased to 33 percent from 34 percent in 2019.

The report said that globally, 149.2 million children under five years are stunting affected in 2020, and Pakistan accounts for a 6.9 percent share of the global burden.

It added Nutrition Security Healthy diets provide a foundation to support physical, cognitive, social, and productive individuals leading to a more economically productive and socially active nation.

Inadequate and unhealthy dietary practices are associated with impaired physical growth, sub-optimal cognitive development, low educational attainment, low labor productivity, reduced earning potential, compromised health, and increased risk of diseases.

Improving nutrition requires an effective and sustained multi-sectoral nutrition programme over the long term.

Nutrition interventions geared towards access to adequate, diverse, and safe food, optimal health, and a healthy environment ensuring safe water, hygiene, and sanitation services are the critical pathways to prevent malnutrition and improve the potential of the country’s most valuable asset, humans. Pakistan’s nutrition commitments expressed in the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, 2020, signal the country’s pledge to combat malnutrition and fast actions towards achieving the WHA targets set for 2025 and SDGs for 2030.

Special multi-sectoral nutrition initiatives are being taken at Federal and Provincial levels in multiple sectors to address malnutrition on a sustainable basis using a system reforms approach.

Food availability and consumption food availability, the foremost pillar of food security, depicts a complete picture of the country’s food supply potentially available for human consumption during a specified time period.

Pakistan produces enough food to meet its population’s food requirements, with adjustments in imports and exports. During FY2022, the availability of major food items remained almost consistent, the report added.