LAHORE: The Punjab Planning and Development Department in collaboration with the Unicef Pakistan and Policy Strategic Planning Unit (PSPU)organized on Friday a consultative session on `District Malnutrition Addressing Committee (DMAC) Sensitization to roll out the Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy (MSNS) in Rawalpindi division.

Addressing the session, P&D member (health) Dr Shabana Haider urged government departments at all levels to make coordinated ef forts for addressing a critical human development issue facing the province which had a dire impact.

She saidit was imperative upon the DCOs, EDOs and other sectoral focal persons to ensure that the MSNS be implemented in letter and spirit and that the monthly progress reports be shared with the Provincial Nutrition Steering Committee, as the body overseeing the implementation of the strategy.

Dr Shabana reiterated that the P&DD was coordinating efforts to implement MSNS in Punjab to address the issue of stunted growth in children and toward this end the DMACs had been constituted for all districts.

The purpose of the sensitization session was toapprise stakeholders of the mandate of DMAC and its responsibility in implementing the government`s multi-sectoral strategy to address the issue of malnutrition, she added.

Unicef health specialist Dr Tahir Manzoor informed the participants that 44 per cent rate of Pakistan`s under five stunting was much higher than the global average and was in fact the third highest percentage of stunted children in the world.

He described malnourishment as a leading cause of stunted growth which could also double the risk of children dying before they turned five, increase the risk of brain damage, and lead to a lack of normal cognitive development in children, destroying their chances of leading normal lives as adult.

In Punjab, every17in 50 children below five years were `stunted` which was alarming, he added.

The sensitization session was a series of meetings to be held at the divisional level to apprise district committees of their mandate.

World Food Programme provincial chief Shezada Rashid and World Health Organization`s Dr Lamina Mehmood were among the dignitaries present there along with active participation from Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum and Attock districts.