DILI, 05 may 2022 (TATOLI) – The government of Timor-Leste, through the Ministry of Health (MoH), together with the development partners and the United Nations Agencies in Timor-Leste, launched the National Health Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan for 2022-2026 to combat malnutrition, especially stunting in Timorese children.
In its Consolidated National Action Plan for Nutrition and Food Security (CNAP), the Government has set the goal to reduce stunting by 22% (from 47% to 25%) by 2030.
With the launching of the National Health Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan, the government also committed to bringing down the prevalence of rickets from 8.6% in 2020 to 3.0% by 2030.
The intervention and specific nutritious program of the National Health Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan focused on Adolescent Health and Nutrition Before Pregnancy, Maternal Diet Supplementation, Micronutrient Supplementation, Breastfeeding, and Complementary Feeding, Dietary supplementation for Children, Improving Feeding Skills, Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition, Disease Prevention and Control, and Food and Nutrition Need in Emergencies.
The Long-term goal of the National Health Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan was to prevent and free Timorese people from malnutrition, in all its forms, including undernutrition (wasting, stunting, rickets, and underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight, obesity, and resulting diet-related non-communicable diseases.
In his speech during the launching ceremony of the Nutritious Strategic Plan at the Ministry of Finance, Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak said that: “The Eight Constitutional Governments decided to prioritize nutrition in its Government program, in line with the Food Security commitments made by the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) on fighting hunger and poverty, which represent the main factors for the prevalence of malnutrition in our society.”
To combat malnutrition, especially stunting in Timor-Leste, the government had taken several important measures, including adopting the National Nutrition Strategy (2014-2019), National Policy for Food Security and Nutrition (2017), and the National Action Plan for Food Security and Nutrition (CNAP FNS 2022) under the aegis of KONSANTIL, as an inter-ministerial and inter-sectoral strategic body, composed of public and private entities, with representatives of development partners and civil society entities, both national and international.
He said another important measure was accessing, in october 2020, the SUN (Scaling Up Nutrition) Movement.
“The launching of the National Health Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan would certainly reinforce all the measures that the government had taken so far to combat malnutrition in the country,” Ruak said after the launch of the National Health Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan, at the Ministry of Finance, yesterday.
In addition, UNICEF’s Country Representative to Timor-Leste, Bilal Durrani said that malnutrition, especially stunting among children younger than five is a silent emergency in Timor-Leste: “It should therefore be addressed today.”
“Stunting results from chronic undernutrition. It is the impaired growth and development that children experience in the first 1.000 days (conception until a child’s 2nd birthday),” said Durrani.
He said the brains of stunted children do not grow to their full potential, adding they are more likely to suffer poor health and be at risk from disease and diet-related conditions: “But stunting doesn’t only affect a child’s health – it also inhibits their future development. Children suffering from stunting may never grow to their full height or develop their full cognitive potential. They are at greater risk of dropping out of school, earning less, having diabetes and cancer, and premature death.”
“Stunting is often physically invisible. It is therefore referred to as a ‘silent emergency. Almost half of Timorese children are born stunted RIGHT NOW. This means that half of the population of Timor-Leste will not have fully grown brains to contribute to the economic development of the country,” he emphasized.
Durrani said, therefore, breastfeeding prevents malnutrition in all its forms: “In addition, complementary affordable nutritious local foods should be included alongside breastfeeding in a child’s diet at the age of six months – an important growth period during which they are more vulnerable to undernutrition. Micronutrient powders, available free at Timorese health facilities, should be introduced from 6 months of age, together with complementary foods.”
He added regular handwashing by mothers/caregivers with soap also helps to prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases such as diarrhea, etc.
At the same place, the Ambassador of the European Union in Timor-Leste, Andrew Jacobs said the National Health Sector Nutrition Strategic Plan was vital to combat and eliminated malnutrition in Timor-Leste.
“EU is committed to continuing supporting the Government of Timor-Leste, especially in the combat against malnutrition in the country,” said Jacobs.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
