PANJSHIR (SW) – Residents of some remote villages of Panjshir say that a significant number of children in this province suffer from malnutrition, with limited access to essential medical services.
Shahla, a resident of the “Dara” district in Panjshir, whose three children suffer from malnutrition, urges officials to address the issue of this disease. She emphasizes the need for preventative measures to safeguard children from this debilitating condition.
She says: “My three children are malnourished, they were feeding from flour with butter, which has also decreased and they say it is over. It is given to those who are not suffering from malnutrition and do not need it; it is even sold in the market. We request the authorities to give more to those who are malnourished.”
Karamuddin, whose four children are grappling with malnutrition, expresses deep concern, saying that he has depleted all his resources in an attempt to provide sustenance and medical treatment for his children. Despite his efforts, the persistent impact of the disease on his children continues to distress him.
“Two of them are girls and two are boys. I do not understand; one of them is weak from birth. We took him to the clinic, they weighed him and said he was malnourished. Like us, there are other people whose children are weak and lethargic. Our demand from the public health ministry is that they should provide us with whatever they have to help get out of this situation,” he added.
on the other hand, Amruddin, a resident of the village of “Abdullah Khel” in Panjshir, highlighted to Salam Watandar that there is a notable disparity in attention from officials. He contends that more focus is directed towards the central areas of the province, leaving residents in remote areas feeling neglected and underserved.
He adds: “Especially remote districts are not covered by Panjshir Public Health Department, either in the past or now. Most of them are concentrated in the centers, the figures are very high.”
However, Khwaja-Aqa Ghafouri, Deputy Director of the Public Health Department of Panjshir, confirming the increase in malnutrition among children compared to last year, says that “in the first six months of this year, 1,779 children with acute malnutrition were registered.”
He adds: “885 of them are boys and 894 are girls. The materials given for the treatment of malnourished patients are available in all our health centers. If the child is severely malnourished, he will be referred to the emergency hospital or DH Rukha hospital.”
Ghafouri attributes the rising prevalence of malnutrition to a combination of factors, including high levels of unemployment and poverty; families are unable to access nutritious and adequate food, hygiene issues, and drought conditions.
Earlier, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that Afghanistan is one of the countries facing a major humanitarian crisis in the world and that 29.2 million people need humanitarian aid. According to Ocha, 3.2 million children in Afghanistan are suffering from malnutrition.
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