BackEducation and Health, being basic human rights and ensuring improved service delivery to the people, fall within the domain of Ombudsman Sindh. The Provincial Ombudsman Sindh initiated a research study on “Assessment of Malnutrition (Stunting) in District Tharparkar”. The study is funded by the IOI under the Regional Subsidy Programme 2021/2022. It is worth mentioning that access to food and nutrition is fundamental right to Pakistani citizens as enshrined in Article 38-D of the country’s constitution which states that “ The State shall provide basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief.
The key objectives of the study were to depict the nutrition-specific programs in the last five years in Tharparkar along with nutrition indicators, the dynamics of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) in the nutrition landscape to offer prescriptions for the improvement of nutrition outcomes in Sindh. The study hinged mainly on desk research consisting of secondary data from local and global literature, reports, and surveys. However, primary data from in-depth key informant interviews and focus-group discussions with key stakeholders in Tharparkar has also been gathered and analysed. The report discusses key findings on the status of malnutrition, especially stunting, in particular. Towards the end, based on the key findings, actionable recommendations have been given to improve service delivery and nutrition outcomes in Tharparkar.
The key findings and recommendation of the research study are following:
FINDINGS
- The first and foremost issue in Tharparkar is the persistent poverty.
- Lack of clean drinking water was cited as major reason for the poor nutrition of Thar community.
- Seasonal migration, nomadic lifestyle, and scattered population makes service provision a problem.
- Early marriages and low/poor birth spacing another problem that perpetuates the malnutrition vicious cycle.
- The widespread presence of NGOs in Tharparkar can be better harnessed through effective coordination.
- Lack of connectivity / transportation cost was often cited as a binding constraint that inhibits health service utilization, especially for females.
- The healthcare staff perspective, the major issue was termed as the lack of human resources to cater to the local population. Shortage of doctors and allied staff often meant that the existing pool of human resources was overburdened.
- The widespread presence of NGOs in Tharparkar can be better harnessed through effective coordination.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- One of major cross-cutting issues that need to be addressed in the region of Tharparkar is “Overall Poverty”.
- Impactful interventions implemented in one Taluka should be replicated across all Talukas of District Tharparkar.
- Provincial steering Committee for Nutrition headed by Chairman P&D Board, is tasked to provide policy-level, support and strategic oversight to the nutrition-related interventions across Sindh, including Tharparkar.
- ‘Conditional Cash Transfers’ might be an effective tool for reducing stunting.
- The number of Nutrition Stabilization Centers can be expanded to all the Talukas of Tharparkar.
- Provision of clean drinking water for the community must be ensured by developing water-supply schemes with effective operations & maintenance mechanisms for sustainability.
- Local cost-effective solutions, like high nutritious value recipes from local ingredients, must be sought for context-specific prescriptions.
Source: Office of the Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Pakistan
