Paulina Quintao – The National Parliament (NP) has created a resolution to compel relevant line ministries to implement the integrated national program for combating malnutrition in the country.
President of Parliamentary Commission F (Health, Education, Culture, Veteran, and Gender Equality), MP Virgilio da Costa Hornai said the reason for creating the resolution was because the government was not serious in combating malnutrition.
He added that activities such as cooking demonstrations people's knowledge about nutrition, especially on how to prepare nutritious food, can be increased.
"Through this we can safeguard our new generations to be in good health condition," he said. In the budget discussion for 2017, he said the parliament allocated again funds for the national campaign on nutrition.
Meanwhile, the General Director of Health Promotion of the Ministry of Health, Dr Odete Viegas said she was appreciative of the resolution because nutrition issue was not solely the ministry's responsibility but it required a multi-sectoral approach.
"Parliament has made a major commitment to support this and I think it is fundamental for us to respond by implementing the activities moving forward," she said.
She said the main problem of malnutrition in the country is with coordination and because there is not carry over nutrition programs within line ministry. She added nutrition was one of the ministry of health's priority programs for 2017.
Meanwhile, the ministry is working with the World Food Program WFP and with UNICEF to prevent malnutrition through the distribution of food supplements to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers and to children under five years of age.
Meanwhile, the Director of national NGO Together We Help (HIAM) Health, Rosaria Martins da Cruz said high malnutrition rates in Timor-Leste was not due to poverty but because the community lacks information about nutrition.
"The women make decisions in the family about food consumption, therefore we should educate our women so they know how to prepare nutritious and balanced food for the whole family," she said.
She added that more awareness raising should be done so that people link malnutrition to stunting because some still think that stunting may be associated with genetic factors. She said also that 50.2% of 2000 children under five years of age were stunt.