21F-9445

Talha Bin Yousaf

Economic Crunch in Pakistan

Health experts have expressed disappointment over
the government's failure to address the issue of
malnutrition and children's stunted growth. Coronavirus,
inflation and unemployment have exacerbated the
situation.
Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to deal with the
issue of malnutrition after he came to power in August
2018. As opposition leader, Khan was very critical of the
previous administrations' inability to tackle the problem.
But many in Pakistan believe his government hasn't done
much to improve the situation in the past two years.
Even members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) party admit that the government could have done
better when it came to addressing rising levels of
malnutrition and stunted growth in children.
"It seems the government is not paying attention to this
important issue. If we do not take immediate measures to
tackle it, around 50% of the country's children might suffer
from stunted growth and a large population of the country
will be malnourished," Ishaq Khakwani, a PTI official, told
DW.
Only after completing two years in power, Khan's
government launched the Ehsaas Nashonuma program,
which aims to improve nutrition and prevent stunted
growth. But the government's efforts are too late and too
little, say experts.
Pakistan is witnessing a double-digit inflation and
widespread unemployment. The coronavirus pandemic has
exacerbated the situation. Thousands of people have lost
their jobs in the past few months.
Rising poverty and malnutrition
In May, Asad Umar, the federal planning minister, warned
that millions of Pakistanis could fall below the poverty line
as a result of the pandemic. Umar also said that one out of
four Pakistanis saw their diets reduced as a result of the dire
economic situation. The minister said thousands of small
businesses could be closed permanently.

But other officials say the government is doing its best

to deal with the malnutrition issue. According to the
government's Demographic and Health Survey, the stunted
growth in children under the age of 5 had decreased from
45% in 2012-2013 to 38% in 2017-2018. The 2018-19
National Nutrition Survey says that around 40% of children
under the age of 5 are facing stunted growth.
"Pakistan is likely to see an increase in malnourishment in
the next two years. The percentage of people living below
the poverty line has increased from 26% to 32% in recent
years, partly due to coronavirus and government's
misplaced economic priorities," Amir Hussain, an Islamabad-
based social expert, told DW, adding that 48% to 50% of the
population is projected to face malnutrition in 2021.
Massive unemployment
Karamat Ali, executive director of the Pakistan Institute of
Labor Education and Research (PILER), said the
government's figures on malnutrition and stunted growth
couldn't be trusted.
"Out of Pakistan's total 68 million labor force, only a
little over 1.5 million laborers have any social security. This
means the rest don't receive any government assistance,
such as unemployment allowance or medical treatment," Ali
told DW.
"Around 45% of this labor force are associated with the
garment and textile industry, and around 90% of these
sectors have either been shut or are seeing very little
manufacturing activity. At the same time, the government is
rapidly privatizing state-run enterprises, which has rendered
thousands of people jobless," Ali said, adding that people's
nutrition and health are bound to be affected by these
economic policies.
"We conducted a survey, which revealed that around
30% of respondents reduced their food intake as a result of
rising food prices. There has been a sharp rise in food prices
in the past few months. Medicines, among other things,
have also become very expensive. All this has augmented
malnutrition and stunted growth among children," he
added.

Misplaced priorities
Said Alam Mehsud, a health expert and rights activist, told
DW that Pakistan's "security state" model leaves very little
money for social security or human development.
"We spend more on the military than on common citizens. If
we really want to tackle the issue of malnutrition, we need
to substantially reduce our defense budget and increase the
health budget — from the current 2% to at least 10%. It is
crucial to transform this country," Mehsud underlined.
Health expert Muhammad Ashraf Nizami says the
government must include health experts and doctors in
policymaking. "The government appoints bureaucrats to
deal with health issues. They don't know anything about
these things," Nizami told DW.