Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children aged 6-24 months in five districts of Karnali Province are set to lose their access to nutritious food due to budget cuts in the nutrition programme.

Officials at the Ministry of Health and Population said that reduced federal funding for nutrition programmes has prevented them from allocating money for distributing fortified flour in the Karnali districts.

“The provincial government may allocate money to continue the programme,” said Lila Bikaram Thapa, chief of the Nutrition Section at the Family Welfare Division under the Department of Health Services. “We could not give continuity to the fortified flour distribution programme due to budget cuts.”

Malnutrition is a silent crisis in Nepal. The country has made significant progress in reducing stunting among children under five. Stunting decreased from 57 percent in 2001 to 25 percent in 2022, according to a report of the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey-2022.

Likewise, wasting declined to eight percent from 10 percent in 2016. Wasting or low weight for a particular height is an undernutrition condition, which is a strong predictor of mortality among children under five, according to the World Health Organisation. Wasting in children is associated with a higher risk of death if not treated properly, according to it.

Even though the survey report showed some improvement in the country’s overall nutrition status, progress is not the same in all provinces. The problem is more prevalent in the Karnali Province.

According to the report, over 30 percent of children under five in the province are stunted, the highest in the country, which is an indicator of chronic undernutrition. The province is also the poorest and most food insecure compared to the national average.

According to officials, as part of a super flour distribution programme launched in 2014, the government used to provide three kg of flour—fortified with all necessary micronutrients—to pregnant women, new mothers, and children aged six to 24 months every month to address chronic malnutrition problems in the province. For that, the Health Ministry used to allocate Rs 50 million.

“This year, around Rs100 million has been cut from the budget of the nutrition programme, which is the main reason for halting the fortified flour distribution programme ” said Thapa. “Besides the flour distributing programme, the budget cut will also affect the awareness programme, which is crucial for reducing the burden of problems.”

Nutrition experts warned that a slash in Karnali Province’s nutrition budget would have long-term consequences and could jeopardise the sector’s achievements made over several decades.

They say that authorities concerned should have promoted locally available foods, made people aware of the importance of nutritious foods and provided fortified flour to improve nutrition conditions and lessen dependency on freely distributed foods.

“It is not wise to halt the programme abruptly,” said Dr Sudha Shree Adhikari, a nutritionist. “Health authorities must continue awareness programmes to educate people about the importance of healthy food along with providing what they have been providing.”

Doctors say malnutrition during pregnancy increases the risk of complications and maternal and neonatal deaths, as well as the likelihood of low birth weight. It is a major impediment to growth, as it can affect human capital and economic productivity.

Experts say that nutrition has a direct link with the overall development of the country.

They add that malnutrition affects children’s physical and mental growth, which ultimately affects the country’s economic health.

The Health Ministry had sought help from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to address the growing problems of malnutrition in Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces in the past.