QUETTA: The Balochistan government has not allocated funds for the last over 10 years for the malnutrition programme to feed mother and child in the province and it is only depending on the aid of Unicef and other donors which have been working in 31 districts of the province and providing food and medicines to families suffering from food deficiency.

This was disclosed by experts of health and other fields at a media advocacy workshop organised by Save the Children International (INGO) in collaboration with Unicef, here on Friday.

The event brought together experts and representatives of various government departments, UN agencies, media professionals and nutrition development partners.

Senior health officials expressed their concern over the increasing number of patients with food deficiency which also increased the mortality rate of mother and child during pregnancy and after the birth of a child.

“The Balochistan government has not allocated funds for the malnutrition programme and it completely depends on the donors’ funding. Since 2014, no funds have been received from the government,” Dr Gaffar Baloch, director of Balochistan Nutrition Directorate, said during a question-answer session of the event.

In his speech, he highlighted the region’s alarming malnutrition indicators and stressed the need for an intersectional approach to address these challenges effectively.

Mr Ameeri, ECD manager at Unicef in his speech appreciated the media’s vital role in raising awareness about the issue.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2025