UHCA lead a team of TV, Radio and print media journalists to a Nutritionalisation of agriculture workshop that was organized by Uganda Science of academies on the 11-12th of August at Speke Resort Muyonyo during the workshop different speakers discussed on the way forward on how nutrition can be integrated in the numerous sectors in the country.
While presiding over the two day workshop, Professor John Tuhe Kakitahi, the Deputy Principal at the school of Public Health, Makerere University noted that a joint and multisectoral approach is strongly desirable if malnutrition rates are to decrease in Uganda.
According to the analysis carried out by the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance 2 project, more than 2million children and women die annually due to malnutrition related deficiencies. In addition Uganda’s most common malnutrition problems are high rates of chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, especially of vitamin A and Iron.
The analysis also indicates that malnutrition in all forms remains largely hidden problem since a majority of children affected are moderately malnourished and identifying in these children without regular assessment is difficult.
While speaking at the same function, the US Ambassador to Uganda, Jerry P Lanier stressed that hunger robs of productivity lifestyle hence a comprehensive approach is required to strengthen nutrition activities in all sectors. “Uganda has the potential to become Africa’s bread basket and thus the US will renew all commitments by supporting result based programmes in order to achieve the millennium development goals by 2015”, added Ambassador Lanier.
Peter Rukundo, a nutritionist and lecturer at Kyambogo University highlighted that issues of prioritization are key if nutrition is to be felt in all the sectors. He added that stakeholders should not leave this to the ministry of health solely but rather coordinate accordingly. Robust monitoring and evaluation still lacks and above all there is need for serious men involvement in these nutrition issues.
For Prof Rubaihayo Patrick, a fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences, government has let down its own people by not fulfilling the promises signed in 1993 at the Maputo protocol which involved committing 15percent to health sector.
In addition to that the underlying causes of malnutrition in Uganda are water and sanitation safety and access, inadequate health infrastructure and access to health care, and food insecurity. Although access to health services has improved in the past decade, the quality of those services has improved in the past decade; the quality of those services has remained questionable. Sanitation and hygiene have worsened in marginalized areas.
For more resources, click on the presentations below.
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