The HIAM (Together we help) Health organization has called on the government to treat malnutrition as a major issue as rates continued to be high and the future of Timor depended on the new generation.
The 2010 Demography Health Survey put malnutrition rates at 58%, but that figure has since been reduced to 50.2%, according to the 2013 Timor-Leste Food and Nutrition Survey.
However, HIAM Health Director Rosaria Martins da Cruz said the government must give priority and attention to this issue as it remained a major threat to the future of Timor-Leste.
“It is not only a physical problem, but it also impacts on their mental health and IQ, that’s the major problem,” she said at her office in Aimutin, Dili.
She said poor nutrition from a young age had serious implications for children’s futures and could lead to development delays and mental retardation.
She said HIAM Health’s screening program in communities showed that many children aged 0 to 5 years old were suffering from malnutrition.
HIAM Health is a local organization working to provide education on nutrition and has set up a rehabilitation center to help malnourished children.
The Ermera municipality has the highest rates of stunting as a result of malnutrition, with 65% of children affected, according to the 2013 Timor-Leste Food and Nutrition Survey.
The head of the Health Ministry’s Nutrition Department, Dr Orlinda dos Reis Albino, said the issue of malnutrition issue required a multi-sector response.
“We need to strengthen the intervention of all sectors so we can reduce the mortality rate caused by malnutrition,” she said.
Every health facility has a nutrition coordinator responsible for providing advice to mothers and educating communities about food diversification and nutrition.
She said it was important to consume three types of protein foods every day, including eggs, meat, beans, as well as carbohydrates such as corn, potato, cassava, rice, vegetables and fruits.
She said malnutrition was not only a health issue, but also impacted on the country’s economic development due to the high costs associated with treating other complications caused by malnutrition.
In 2010, a number of key ministries – including Agriculture, Health and Education – signed the Comoro declaration to reduce malnutrition and hunger.
The declaration clearly defined the interventions required by every ministry, but this has not yet been effectively implemented.
In a recent speech at the Timor-Leste Development Partnership Meeting, Prime Minister Dr Rui Maria de Araujo said the government would give priority to the agriculture sector in 2017, particularly efforts to combat malnutrition and hunger in Timor-Leste.
