Malnutrition undermines economic growth

by Elmo Leonard

Sri Lanka faces serious consequences of human capital development consequent to 29 percent of the island's children being underweight, being malnourished. Also, 30 percent of women, are anaemic, and the same is true of children under five years of age, World Bank officials told the media in Colombo.

Malnutrition undermines economic growth and perpetuates poverty, according to a recent WB report: 'Repositioning nutrition as central to development.' Yet, the international community and most governments in developed countries have failed to tackle malnutrition over the past decades, while well-tested approaches to reach such ends exist.

Concurrently, in Sri Lanka, overall income poverty had not fallen significantly, and it is unlikely that the nation will achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing poverty by half by 2015.

World Bank (WB) director in Sri Lanka, Peter Harrold said that the two targets, poverty and malnutrition are closely linked; one represents income poverty and the second, non-income poverty.

Thus, WB, government and a number of key development partners, last week launched a program to critically analyse the issue of malnutrition in the country. "We need to understand why Sri Lanka is lagging behind on these targets and address the issues immediately for the one impacts on the other in significant ways," Harrold said.

When the nutritional standard of a family is poor, the children suffer the most consequences, as older people can survive cheap and less nutrient bearing food, a recent CNN program on Sudan said. In the Sri Lankan context, it is common that the male head of the household, often uses a large part of his income on liquor, leaving little for the family, the conference noted.

Sri Lanka enjoys a lower infant and maternal mortality rate and life expectancy is higher, than in most South Asian countries, Dr. Manilal Fernando, deputy director general, Public Health Services said. Sri Lanka's per capita income is $1091 per annum.

Yet, Sri Lanka also has the highest child underweight rate among a few countries with similar per capita income, Dr. Shanthi Gunawardena, nutritional coordinating director, said.

Severe malnutrition is relatively low in Sri Lanka and child under- nutrition has decreased from 38 percent in 1987 to 29 percent in 2000. However, this still leaves one in three children underweight.