Suffering in the midst of plenty

A number of women and children are becoming victims of a silent killer - micronutrient deficiencies.

It is equally true that women who are malnourished and anaemic are more likely to face reproductive health problems, which lead to maternal and infant deaths.

Anaemia in pregnancy in Ghana affects 65% of women, and available figures indicate that about 20% of maternal deaths are related to anaemia.

There have been cases where deaths have occurred in children below five years, especially in the deprived rural areas, as a result of malnutrition.

This problem should, therefore, be seen as critical if the nation is to achieve the desired economic development.

The worst hit of this serious problem are the three northern regions.

Nearly 77% of children are suffering from iron deficiency, and this translates into about eight out of 10 children seen every day in homes and schools.

Twenty-two per cent of children below five years are underweight and 7% are wasted.

Those who suffer under-nutrition for a very long time and are, therefore, shorter than what is normal for their ages is 30%, and this is frightening.

The meaning is that one out of every three children in Ghana is suffering from effects of long-term inadequate food intake.

It is even more worrying when one considers that severe childhood malnutrition has fatal consequences, as well as being the underlying cause of death in many affected children.

Good nutrition is recognised as the only foundation for good health and is very essential for the growth of children into healthy, knowledgeable and productive adults.

It is, therefore, sad to hear that these children will not be able to attain their full potential, causing them to perform poorly in school, hence contribute to the high school dropouts.

Ghana is fortunate to be producing all the foods that have all the nutritional values that one needs to grow.

However, the country still faces the problem of malnutrition, causing stunted growth and anaemia in children, pregnant and lactating mothers.

Experts say Ghana could gain about $1.16 million over the next 10 years if the government should concentrate on improving nutrition.

Improving nutrition would lead to substantial savings for the country because of the positive impact it would have on illness reduction, especially in children under the age of five.

Investing in and scaling up proven effective nutrition interventions during the next 10 years would boost economic productivity, save lives and improve the well-being of Ghanaians, particularly women and children.

In Ghana, we have glut in the harvesting season, followed by a sharp cut of food supply in the lean season, leading to shortages.

The perishable nature of agricultural products makes it practically impossible to keep fresh food crops for a long time.

As a nation, we need to take urgent steps to preserve food and distribute it evenly to eliminate malnutrition.