Pakistan is on the precipice of a food crisis as malnourishment runs high, especially in flood-affected areas which have been left severely deprived. Children and women have been severely impacted by the shortage of food, resulting in health problems as well. Flood relief campaigns have made the provision of food the central focus but the simple fact of the matter is that there is little produce circulating the domestic market already since most productive lands have been rendered useless because of the floods. However, it would be absolutely ignorant for the government to accept the unfortunate reality as it is instead of pushing for solutions.
Hunger has always been a growing concern in poorer communities of Pakistan. Even before the floods, at least 40 percent of all women and 50 percent of all children under the age of five were reported to experience health complications and stunted growth due to malnourishment. Medical concerns have ranged from gastrointestinal issues to severe skin diseases, dengue, malaria, pneumonia, migraines, insomnia, anxiety and debilitating depression—all ailments that are hard to battle without proper and excellent-quality nutrition. People not only have been robbed of the means to buy this nutrition but they have been rendered completely helpless and have become reliant on the government following the devastating floods.
In light of this growing crisis, the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department and various other branches of maternal, neonatal and child healthcare collaborated with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to carry out training programmes for flood-affected areas like DG Khan and Rajanpur. The aim is to equip the volunteers with the necessary expertise and equipment to treat those suffering from the worst side effects of the floods and to build upon a framework for channeling resources to the areas that need them the most. This will create a more targeted approach that is bound to segregate and cater to the victims in accordance with the urgency with which they must be accommodated.
According to recent estimates, around 14.6 million people require emergency food assistance from December through to March of 2023, signaling an increase of more than 100 percent post-floods. These are horrifying statistics that should prompt the government to restructure its strategy so that it can directly address and provide for victims.
https://www.nation.com.pk/30-Nov-2022/food-crisis
