‘Coordination needed to make nutrition programme a success’
Coordination among government departments and development partners is imperative to improve multi-sectoral nutrition programmes in the country, experts at a roundtable observed on Wednesday.
“The government should address the lack of coordination at the grassroots nutrition programme,” said Nazma Shahin, director of Institute of Nutrition and Food Science (INAS) at Dhaka University.
Prothom Alo, in association with Save the Children, organised the roundtable styled ‘Multisectoral nutrition programming for improving nutrition: Role of GoB and development partners’ at CA Bhaban in Karwan Bazar.
Nutrition experts also stressed the need to create awareness on nutrition intake to make a healthy nation.
Public health specialist Mofizul Islam Bulbul said that the government is placing emphasis on local level coordination and multi-sectoral planning in the nutrition programme.
State minister for health and family welfare ministry Murad Hassan said the government will reduce stunting of below five-year-old children to 25 per cent from current the 31 per cent within the next two to three years before the deadline set by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said the government is observing National Nutrition Week, first of its kind, to raise awareness among the people to fight the challenge of malnutrition.
Murad Hassan also said the government is planning to set up medical universities in each division.
Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC) director general Shah Nawaz said, “BNNC has conducted 9 inter-ministerial meetings with 22 ministries. As per direction of the prime minister, the ministries have decided to take nutrition development projects within their respective Annual Development Programme (ADP).”
The government is also working to strengthen monitoring and awareness building on nutrition, the DG added.
Save the Children deputy country director Ishtiaq Mannan said that there is no chance for complacence despite Bangladesh’s success in the health and nutrition sector.
“If we want to fight malnutrition, we must break away from the vicious cycle of poverty,” he added.
INAS director Nazma Shahin suggested that Bangladesh should establish a nutrition sensitive food system to ensure healthy diet for the people.
International Development Enterprises (IDE) country director Deepak Dhoj Kadka said that it is of utmost importance to change the food consumption behavior of the people because it is intertwined with our respective cultures.
Stunting of below five-year-old children was 43 per cent in 2007 which now stands at 31 per cent, Save the Children Bangladesh’s SUCHANA programme chief of party Sheikh Shahed Rahman said in his presentation.
A total of 173,014 people of 157 unions of Sylhet and Moulvibazar were beneficiaries of SUCHANA programme, he said.
DFID’s health advisor Shafiqul Islam said Bangladesh has achieved success in the health sector. He, however, said achieving the final stage of success is the toughest task.
About the role of development partners in the nutrition sector, he said that Bangladesh can gain valuable global experience from them.
World Fish senior scientist Benoy Kumar Barman, WFP senior policy officer Mamunur Rashid, FAO chief technical adviser Naoki Minamiguchi and icddr,b senior director Tahmeed Ahmed, among others, spoke at the roundtable moderated by Prothom Alo associate editor Abdul Quayum.