Medical Expert For Degree Courses In Field Of Nutrition, Dietetics

Faizan Hashmi Published February 12, 2018 | 08:06 PM

The Higher Education Commission needs to launch degree courses in the field of nutrition and dietetics to overcome the shortage of qualified professionals and help address the issues of malnourishment, obesity and stunting in the country, said Dr Ayaz Soomro, the Medical Superintendent of Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Hospital Sukkur and prominent nutritionist

SUKKUR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Feb, 2018 ) :The Higher education Commission needs to launch degree courses in the field of nutrition and dietetics to overcome the shortage of qualified professionals and help address the issues of malnourishment, obesity and stunting in the country, said Dr Ayaz Soomro, the Medical Superintendent of Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Hospital Sukkur and prominent nutritionist.

Talking to APP here on Monday, he pointed out that there are around 10 million overweight children in the country while around half of Pakistani children are stunted or undernourished. Dr Ayaz Soomro said the country is facing disparities in the area of nutrition; it stands 9th in the number of obese or overweight people in the world while ironically, around 45 per cent children here are `stunted` and 50 per cent women are anaemic or malnourished.

He urged the authorities to impose a "nutrition emergency" to tackle obesity, childhood stunting and anaemia in the country. The medical expert said the Sindh Government should establish a nutrition council to tackle the issue of childhood stunting, childhood obesity, anaemia among women and diet-related diseases.

To a question, he said nutrition is a highly specialised field and there is shortage of trained and qualified nutritionists and dieticians in the country. The nutritionist said they have dedicated the current month to nutrition as every week they would hold awareness activities on different aspects of diet for prevention of diabetes, hypertension, kidney diseases and issues of public health, including diarrhoea and dysentery.

He urged the media to play their role in creating awareness among the masses of importance of nutrition.