New Delhi, Sep 4, 2020: Multisectoral leaders have joined hands with the Integrated Health and Well-being (IHW) Council, a non-profit social impact institution promoting health for all, to announce a 2-year-long undertaking to substantially reduce prevalence of anaemia in India and monitor to prevent its return at the ongoing Bharat Nutrition Week. The collective also announced to observe ‘National Anaemia Day’ on 21^st March every year to raise awareness about a disease that affects 50 per cent of women in India and could not be eradicated despite initiating the National Nutritional Anaemia Prophylaxis Programme (NNAPP) in 1970.

The multi-stakeholder collective ‘Shapath’ will work to reinforce the government’s commitment of an ‘anaemia-mukt Bharat’ by bringing down prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) from NFHS(4)-level of 58% to 40% in lactating women, from 50% to 32% in pregnant women, and from 54% to 36% in adolescent girls between 15 and 19 years-old by 2022. The target set for adolescent boys between 15 and 19 years-old is 11% from current 29% and to 40% from 58% in children between 6 to 59 months.

In addition to the IHW Council, other members of the collective include Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), WWW Foundation, Asian Research and Training Institute for Skill Transfer (ARTIST), Vedanta Nand Ghar, WISH Foundation, and Emcure Pharmaceuticals. The team will bring together their respective expertise to identify the target groups and deploy specialized teams, provide products and equipment support for ‘test-and-cure’ programs in most-affected districts and states in India.

A rigorous data collection, documentation, and monitoring & evaluation (M&E) regime will be followed to assess the value of these interventions and collaborate with government authorities to leverage policy framework and contribute in accelerating the national mission to eradicate anaemia by 2022. “Anaemia is a problem that cannot be addressed due to a gap between knowledge and implementation. Swachh Bharat was a timely intervention. Another aspect we have seen is that once the officer in charge of programme changes, a fresh SOP is sought. This causes delay in implementing the measures to check anaemia,” says Dr Shanta Kumari, President Elect, FOGSI.

“That we do not have an anaemia day reflects the prioritisation or lack of it. Accountability is crucial for bringing change. We must have a structured way of implementing programs by following goal-setting, determining milestones and timelines, fixing ownership, and measuring the impact,” says Namita Thapar, Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals.

“We have a vision called ‘India at 75’ where we wish to see India free of malnutrition, one of the causes of anaemia. While working with the anganwadis, we found that so many of them were not getting mid-day meals. We are working on all these aspects and wish to see India anaemia free by India at 75,” says Ritu Jhingon, CEO-Nand Ghar, Vedanta Limited.

“Absence of toilets forced women to drink less water and take less food because it was a risk to their dignity. Initiatives like Swachh Bharat have helped a lot to address such problems. I want to tell the women, you embody the Indian culture of ‘give first and take later’ but do not allow yourself to go hungry, abused, or suppressed,” says Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji, Secretary-General, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance President, Divine Shakti Foundation.

“Despite programmes launched 50 years ago, more than half of the population continues to suffer from various degrees of anaemia. Saying this is unacceptable has not made any difference over the years. We need more robust and concerted efforts, designating a national anaemia day is the right stepping stone – it will help us raise awareness better and drive us to measure the impact of interventions. We will share our proposal with the right authorities in time,” says Mr. Kamal Narayan, CEO, Integrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Council.

Aiming to raise the awareness and discussion around nutrition among children, a fact highlighted by hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his ‘Mann ki Baat’ broadcast, the event will have a special segment titled ‘Bharat Nutrition Quiz Show with School Kids’, where students from all over India will participate. Panel discussions with around 100 speakers including government officials of various ministries and institutions; policy experts of WHO and UNICEF; industry leaders, researchers, and medical practitioners will deliberate for over 60 hours on the pressing issues related to availability and access to nutrition. Discussion forums involving leading dieticians, nutritionists, food entrepreneurs and influencers will be held under ‘Good Food Talk Show’ while ‘Healthy Khayega India’, a special live session, will host celebrity chefs.

‘Bharat Nutrition Week’ is being hosted with support from Asian Research and Training Institute for Skill Transfer (ARTIST), WWW Foundation, World of Wellbeing (WOW), and Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI). The event will culminate on 7^th September with Bharat Nutrition Awards 2020, honouring organizations, institutions, and individuals for their contribution in developing innovative products, conducting new research, grassroot-level initiatives for women, children, and elderly people, and spreading awareness and educational programs.

The post National Anaemia Day to be observed on 21st March  appeared first on Health Vision.

New Delhi, September 1, 2020: Adequate and nutritious food is intrinsic to healthy life. However, lack of access to required nutrition remains a reality in India causing health and developmental problems such as stunting, wasting, anaemia, obesity, etc. Recognising the need for a holistic discussion on its diverse aspects, the Integrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Council, a premier think tank promoting health for all, is organising a mega virtual conclave with policy makers, experts and entrepreneurs Bharat Nutrition Week from 1^st to 7^th September, 2020, the first week of ‘National Nutrition Month’.

Aiming to raise the awareness and discussion around nutrition among children, a fact highlighted by hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his ‘Mann ki Baat’ broadcast, Bharat Nutrition Week will have a special segment titled ‘Bharat Nutrition Quiz Show with School Kids’, where students from all over India will participate. “We have a maxim – “Yatha Annam Tatha Mannam” which means that mental and intellectual development is directly related to the quality of our food intake. Nutrition and proper nourishment play a big role in helping children and students to attain their optimum potential and to show their mettle. For children to be well nourished, the mother needs to receive proper nourishment. Nutrition merely does not only imply eating, but getting essential nutrients like salts, vitamins etc.,” hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during the latest ‘Mann ki Baat’.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale will Inaugurate the event on 1^st September while other central ministers including hon’ble Minister for Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), and Chairman, Executive Board, WHO, Sushri Debasree Chaudhuri; and hon’ble Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh, among others are expected to join during the week.

The multi-stakeholder digital event will host panel discussions with around 100 speakers including government officials of various ministries and institutions; policy experts of WHO and UNICEF; industry leaders, researchers, and medical practitioners for over 60 hours to deliberate on the pressing issues related to availability and access to nutrition. It will cover diverse aspects ranging from evolving nutrition needs of various segments of society, tackling new post-COVID malnutrition and food security challenges for rural households, labelling and availability of nutritional information, responsible agriculture, to the role of food in disease prevention. Discussion forums involving leading dieticians, nutritionists, food entrepreneurs and influencers will be held under ‘Good Food Talk Show’ while ‘Healthy Khayega India’, a special live session, will host celebrity chefs.

Lack of nutrition can cause malnutrition and undernutrition in children, pregnant women and lactating mothers that cause long-term health issues in both the mother and her child.  The issue of undernutrition and malnutrition has been prioritised by successive governments, starting with the overarching Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) that was launched in 1975 and has served over 7.86 crore children (below the age of 6 years) and 1.86 crore pregnant and lactating mothers.

‘Bharat Nutrition Week’ is being hosted with support from Asian Research and Training Institute for Skill Transfer (ARTIST), WWW Foundation, World of Wellbeing (WOW), and Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI). The event will culminate on 7^th September with Bharat Nutrition Awards 2020, honouring organizations, institutions and individuals for their contribution in developing innovative products, conducting new research, grassroot-level initiatives for women, children and elderly people, and spreading awareness and educational programs.

“Nutrition is the most important component for sustenance that helps us continue with the work we do and boosts our immunity to prevent diseases. However, in the past decade-and-a-half, we have noticed a new trend of nutritional imbalance in India, especially in urban areas where people are developing disease by taking wrong nutrition that is rich in refined components, excessive sugar and salt, and harmful fats. This dichotomy of nutritional imbalance in India complicates the problem that may not be addressed in the right spirit with conventional solutions,” says Mr. Kamal Narayan, CEO, Integrated Health and Wellbeing (IHW) Council.

The post IHW Council steps up its good food for all campaign through mega ‘Bharat nutrition week’ appeared first on Health Vision.