The parliamentary committee on nutrition and HIV/Aids has urged Malawians to always look into issues of nutrition in order to prevent malnutrition in the country.
Last year, severe malnutrition claimed 45 under-five children in Chikhwawa district and statistics indicate that hospitals across the country admitted 4,137 children from January to June.
Authorities in Chikhwawa attributed this to acute food shortage and delay by parents to take their malnourished children to the hospital.
Chairperson for the parliamentary committee on nutrition and HIV Aids Deus Gumba Banda said government spends a lot of money to address malnutrition every year hence the need to seriously look into ways to reduce the issue.
”Government spends over K247 million Kwacha in order to address malnutrition every year hence the need for people to take these issues seriously in order to reduce it in the country,” said Banda.
However, one of the reasons for malnutrition is hunger facing the country and poverty which makes parents to fail to feed their children a balanced diet.
Malnutrition iliko chimanga akudulisa mavenda mukuwagulisa chimanga
The Parliamentary Committee on HIV/Aids must have been given a very well balanced meal @ their meeting that made them comeup with this. May they kindly be reminded that nutrition will not be possible with a short or no supply of MAIZE. Members of Parliament & Councillors operate within their areas & know what’s happening on the sales of maize to vendors but none of them have ever sat down to think & act on the issue for the benefit of the starving masses who elected them. Aslong as their have their dues though for no work, the rest remains to the poor who are left out in cold & heat to fender for themselves for the remaining years to the next election.