Islamabad experts discussed the urgent need to improve maternal nutrition strategies, focusing on multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), a press release issued by the Junaid Family Foundation (JFF) said on Tuesday.
Pakistan is classified between four countries, together with Nigeria, India and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (RDC), which represented almost half of the 260,000 maternal deaths estimated worldwide in 2023, according to published data from the UN that have caused raw warnings on the impact of cuts to help the funds of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Maternal deaths include those related to complications during childbirth or pregnancy, three UN agencies said in a joint report.
According to a press release, a high -level event was organized in Islamabad this week, gathering global and national experts to discuss the urgent need to improve maternal nutrition strategies, with a MMS approach.
Speaking during the event, the Secretary of the Ministry of Health Services Mirza Nasiruddin Maskood emphasized the critical role of maternal nutrition in the configuration of a healthier future for mothers and children, according to the press release.
“Only a healthy mother can give life to a healthy child,” Maskood said in the press release.
“Maternal nutrition is a critical component that is often neglected due to the lack of awareness, sensitization and education, especially in remote areas of Pakistan. The federal government, with the support of provincial governments and organizations such as JFF, is working to promote and strengthen MMS and remain committed to perform its part.”
He said that Maskood appreciated the “support of JFF and other development partners to help federal and provincial governments in this vital area.”
The president of JFF, Ansir Junaid, said “personal gratitude for the many partners and individuals involved in supporting the MMS initiative,” reiterating the commitment of the foundation to improve maternal health.
“The health of a nation begins with the health of their mothers. In JFF, we believe that each mother deserves the opportunity to prosper, and each child deserves the opportunity to be healthy,” said JFF president.
“We are honored to stop with our partners and the Pakistan government in the construction of a future where maternal nutrition is a right, not a privilege.”
JFF’s senior technical advisor, Dr. Abdul Ghaffa, told the story of “How JFF got involved in the MMS initiative in 2019 in Pakistan, and since then it has become a central part of the JFF mission.”
He emphasized the need for more coordinated and multisectoral efforts to strengthen maternal nutrition, according to the press release.
He also shared that in 2024, JFF in association with the Humanitarian Kirk of the United States donated more than one million bottles of MMS for distribution in thirty -two high -load districts in Pakistan.
JFF Executive Director Jackie Range said the Foundation was “deeply committed to serving vulnerable populations in the central areas of medical care, education, civic commitment and equity and diversity both in Cleveland, Ohio and in Pakistan.”
“It is important to recognize the great scale of this effort. To serve and maintain women in a country of this size, it is imperative to have a perfect coordination between philanthropy, the government and that of the NGOs. Today’s seminar is a brilliant reflection of what is possible with such collaboration,” he said.
UNICEF’s deputy representative Shameela Rasool also appreciated JFF’s role for joining everything.
