10pc of Kandahar children malnourished

KANDAHAR CITY (PAN official said.

“Children having lost 70 percent of their normal body weight are considered malnourished because they cannot resist diseases,” Dr. Mohammad Siddique, the children’s ward head at Mirwais Hospital, told a seminar on Saturday.

He said 498 children were treated and discharged out of 560 they had received with decreased nutrient intake of food over the past year. Six percent across the province lost their battle for life, he said, adding the mortality rate had increased over the previous year.

However, he did not provide any figures for deaths a year ago.

Mirwais Hospital Director Dr. Daud Farhad said the public health ministry had prioritised overcoming the issue of malnutrition among children.

He said the situation had improved after the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) delivered equipment to hospitals.

A survey four months ago by the government revealed every third child was malnourished in southern provinces.

ml/ma/mud

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