AS per Global Nutrition Report released on Thursday, Bangladesh is slipping back in exclusive breastfeeding while doing badly in the rest five indicators out of eight. The country has made good progress in two — such as stunting and child overweight. But it is not clearly understood why breastfeeding is slowing down. The overall tone of the report is that the country is ‘on course’ but question also arises as to why the country has not developed the nutritional condition as a whole when we are producing enough food and the government is spending enough on the health sector. There is a point that a big number of people at extreme poverty level are not getting enough food although there is enough supply in the market. They can’t buy enough. The issue needs to be properly evaluated in the context of the nutrition goal set for the nation.
Reports said the rate of stunting – low height for age – is still high at 36.1 percent in Bangladesh although it is dropping faster which was 41 percent in 2011 and 51 percent in 2004. It appears that there is significant progress only in two indicators but slower achievement in case of other indicators is worrying. However Health and Family Welfare Minister’s observation that the government is working to build a nutrition-rich country seems to indicate progress is under way. But the Health Minister’s claim can’t be properly verified by development in the ground.
It is alarming when the report said more than 50 percent of women suffer from chronic energy deficiency and more children suffer from high rates of micronutrient deficiencies, particularly vitamin A, iron, iodine and zinc deficiency. More than 54 percent of preschool-age children, which is equivalent to more than 9.5 millions, are stunted, 56 percent are underweight and more than 17 percent are wasted. This worrisome nutritional rate raises question why the health sector is failing to overcome the vulnerability and inefficiency to bring about steady improvement in nutritional health.
As it appears population growth and cereal production has a direct link to improving nutrition status. It is true that significant progress has been made in cereal production in Bangladesh over the past decades but rapid population growth and the resultant rise in food requirements continue to remain the challenge to nutritional self-sufficiency. We need to have a good agricultural policy now to give fair price of food grains to farmers to continue enough land under cultivation, which would produce more food.
If enough food is secured, nutritional status will improve. For the sake of public health, government needs to diversify food sources both in terms of environmental sustainability and developing rural economy to ensure increased production of food to lead to increased consumption. It can only improve the people’s nutritional standard.
