Central Asian health officials and experts reaffirm commitment to improve nutrition situation of children and mothers in the region
9 April 2008, Ashgabat – The 11th Annual Meeting of the Central Asia Republics (CAR) Maternal and Child Health Forum ended today with a strong commitment from health officials to improve mother and child nutrition in Central Asia. High-level health officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and host government Turkmenistan pledged to work together to meet nutrition-related Millennium Development Goals. “It is the first time that the imperative of investing in nutrition has been presented so convincingly from conceptual and practical vantage points. Second, it is also notable that all five governments are taking concerted action to address many of the nutritional problems faced by children and women,” said UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for CEE/CIS Shahnaz Kianian-Firouzgar in her closing remarks. The two-day Forum focussed on maternal and child nutrition and HIV and AIDS in Central Asia. Each country reviewed the progress made in maternal and child nutrition and the challenges that lie ahead to sustain this progress. Turkmenistan prides itself in being the first Central Asian country to have eliminated iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) and the 4th in the world to have achieved Universal Salt Iodization in line with generally accepted international standards. Early this year, Turkmen government has agreed to fully finance the Flour Fortification Programme and will work with UNICEF in buying the pre-mix of micronutrients that will be added to supreme grade and first grade flour. 17 of the country’s largest mills are already producing flour fortified with iron and folic acid. Kazakhstan has also eliminated IDD with 92 per cent of Kazakh population using iodised salt. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are close to achieving this goal. Close to half a million under-five children in Kyrgyzstan and more than a million in Tajikistan have received Vitamin A, protecting them from common childhood infections that may lead to death. Six million children in Uzbekistan learned the importance of proper nutrition through a national campaign held during the National Health Week. In addition, the National Flour Fortification Programme has increased flour mills’ capacity to fortify about 1.9 million tonnes of flour annually. This will meet the needs of almost 90 per cent of the at-risk population, including children and women.
Despite these notable gains, Central Asian countries still face serious nutrition problems, characterised by chronic malnutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and increasing number of children who are overweight. Although significant proportion of babies are born in baby-friendly hospitals, early introduction of fluids, for example tea, is still very common and exclusive breastfeeding is only practised by a minority. The Forum also tackled nosocomial or hospital-acquired HIV infection among children which has been recorded in recent years. Kazakh and Kyrgyz health officials shared the lessons learned from experiences of dealing with nosocomial HIV infection cases in their respective countries. The more than 100 Forum participants adopted a resolution calling for the provision of adequate resources for the development of national nutrition plans in all of the Central Asian countries. The resolution also calls for the development and implementation of evidence-based national policies for improving the quality of paediatric care to prevent nosocomial HIV transmission. “We are very pleased with the efforts made by the Government of Turkmenistan to ensure the success of this Forum,” said UNICEF Turkmenistan Waheed Hassan. First held in 1997 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the Forum has served as a common platform for governments in Central Asia to exchange knowledge and experiences in addressing health issues related to the survival, development and protection of children and the well-being of women. The Forum has also created opportunities for discussion of health innovations and options that Central Asian governments could adopt to improve existing health care systems and facilities. Over the course of its 10-year existence, the Forum has contributed to keeping maternal and child health high on the agenda of health reforms that have been ongoing in each country. For more information please contact: Ayadil Saparbekov UNICEF Health and Nutrition Officer Email: asaparbekov@unicef.org Gulyalek Soltanova UNICEF Communication Officer Phone: +99312 425681/82/86/86 Fax: +99312 420830 Email: gsoltanova@unicef.org Web: http://www.unicef.org/turkmenistan
|
