Meet deals with malnutrition in PH

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund or Unicef, under-nutrition in the Philippines remains a serious problem. About 3.6 million children up to  5 years old are underweight while four million suffer from stunted growth as a result of painful and debilitating cycles of illness, depressed appetite, insufficient food and inadequate care.

Although these figures have decreased in the past two  decades, Unicef believes it is not fast enough to reach the United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing the number of underweight children by half until 2015.

Assistant Health Secretary Maria-Bernardita Flores, who is also the National Nutrition Council (NNC) executive director, said the efforts of the local governments are turning to be crucial in meeting the MDG.

She said: “The NNC continues to recognize the important contribution of the district and city nutrition program coordinators to the (country’s) nutrition program. This conference is our way of thanking them and showing them that we appreciate the hard work that they exert for our country’s nutrition program. We also recognize their critical role in accelerating efforts to reduce child malnutrition.”

Four areas

Before participants of the recently concluded 4th national conference of District/City Nutrition Program Coordinators (D/CNPCs) held at the SMX Convention Center in SM Lanang Premier Mall on Oct. 21 and 22, Flores said the country’s various agencies have been concentrating on four areas of concern: infant and young child feeding; micronutrient supplementation and food fortification; integrated management of acute malnutrition; and ensuring care and hygiene practices.

The two-day event was attended by nutrition workers at the provincial and city levels who train and supervise barangay nutrition scholars and assist the nutrition action officer.

Flores explained that the conference was an opportunity to bring new light to issues that include recognizing the contributions of the D/CNPCs to the country’s nutrition programs; raising awareness and knowledge of D/CNPCs on developments in nutrition strategies, policies and programs; and further strengthening of the D/CNPC Association in the Philippines as a united force in advocating nutrition.

Mayor Melchor Petracorta of Limasawa, Southern Leyte, identified the best practices that made the municipality a recipient of the Nutrition Honor Award—the highest award given by the NNC to local government units with outstanding achievements in nutrition program implementation. Other guests were Henry Mdebwe of the Unicef, who talked on the strategy for accelerating reduction in child undernutrition, and Dr. Martin R. Parreño of Action Contre la Faim International, who lectured on how to address acute malnutrition.

“Our delegates this year have shown excitement and great enthusiasm as the information that they have learned will equip them with a clearer understanding of our country’s nutrition situation. This then leads us into forming nutrition and related realizations and insights that would help us better educate our families and communities,” said Evelyn Gamurot, president of the District/City Nutrition Program Coordinators Association of the Philippines or D/CNPC Association in the Philippines.

The D/CNPC Association in the Philippines was organized to develop highly recognized, competent and committed district/city nutrition program coordinators to ensure sustained delivery of quality nutrition programs and other related services.