Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Experts blame no campaign, counselling for malnutrition

Lack of campaigns and the counselling of mothers about nutrition and hygiene are responsible for malnutrition, experts said.
They are of the opinion that the lack of hygienic practice, such as washing hand before feeding the child or preparing baby food, causes drainage of nutrition form the children’s bodies and make them malnourished.
They also expressed their dissatisfaction as only 21 per cent of children under the age of two years were fed complimentary food properly after six months of their ages.
‘The picture of complimentary feeding is very dissatisfactory,’ said SM Mustafizur Rahman, the programme manager of National Nutrition Services of Institute of Public Health and Nutrition.
The people do not know what the balance food is due to lack of campaigns, he said, adding that the lack of hygiene practices was also contributing malnutrition.
Some of the experts observed that it would be tough to change the bleak picture of nutrition due to lack of dedicated workers in campaign and counselling.
The health workers engaged with other works cannot counsel the people properly about complementary food for child and hygienic practices including washing hand before feeding the child or preparing baby food, they said.
‘No significant guideline is there for the health workers to counsel the mothers at villages,’ said former World Health Organisation regional nutrition adviser Rukhsana Haider.
There is no monitoring system also for the health workers who are to implement this programme, she said.
‘If there is no reporting system to headquarters, no programme can be successful,’ she observed.
According to Institute of Public Health and Nutrition officials, the health workers dedicated for other health services are also responsible for counselling the mothers.
Institute of Public Health and Nutrition director M Ekhlasur Rahman, however, said, ‘It is difficult to ensure proper nutrition to the children only by counselling the mothers.’
The institute is nationally working for nutrition and running counselling programme by the existing health workers as the institute has no allocation to appoint separate staff for counselling about, he said, adding that monitoring was also very difficult.
The counselling programme, however, does not cover city and municipal areas, which are under the local government ministry, the officials said.
The experts also blamed lack of coordination between the health and local government ministries while the local government ministry was responsible for water and sanitation.
Shahnaj, a five-month girl, lives in the capital’s Agargaon area. Her mother Aklima is a housemaid and only earning member of the family that has four children.
When Aklima goes for work, Shahnaj stays at the slum with his brother and sisters.
‘Most of the time Shahnaj has to take plain rice with salt as she does not like vegetable curry and sometimes curry is not enough,’ said Aklima.
Aklima, who rarely can afford egg or fish for the family, feeds Shahnaj milk powder as she has heard that it is good for the child.
Aklima also said that she usually did not wash hands before feeding her children or preparing food for them.
‘Who will counsel this mother,’ said Rukhsana Haider.
Centre for Woman and Child Health research coordinator Khurshid Talukder said, ‘It is impossible to reach every person when you have one health worker for 6,000 people.’
Under the recently closed national nutrition programme, every community nutrition promoter, known as Pusti Apa, has to visit only 250 households and meet about 40 mothers, he said.
‘So,’ he added, ‘they had a good relationship with the mothers.’
These counselling activities had a revolutionary effect on reducing child mortality in the villages covered by the programme, Khurshid said.
He said that National Nutrition Programme was a 15-year project and it covered about 50 million people at 173 upazilas across the country.
The latest Bangladesh demographic and health survey 2011 showed that the exclusive breastfeeding rate was 64 percent while the proper feeding practices of children under two years of age had fallen from 42 per cent to 37 per cent, which was actually only 21 per cent if the stricter definition of infant and young feeding practices were followed.

-With New Age input

Related News

Bangladesh and KSA sign pact for workers’ rights

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have just inked a labour recruitment agreement, marking the first deal aimed at promoting fair recruitment practices and protecting workers’ rights. Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser, Prof. Asif Nazrul, and the Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Engineer Ahmad Bin Solaiman Al-Rajhi, recently came ... Read more

Poor pay, allowances of teachers affect education

World Teacher’s Day today Shahin Akhter Poor pay-scale and allowances and low social status mark the poor condition of the teachers in Bangladesh affecting the education sector, observed educationists and researchers. They also said that the Bangladeshi teachers were lagging much behind their fellows even in the neighbouring countries in terms of these facilities and ... Read more

Protecting hilsa: 22-day fishing ban begins

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has put a 22-day halt on catching, transporting, storing, selling, and marketing hilsa throughout the country. This measure aims to protect the fish during its crucial breeding season. The ban started at midnight yesterday and will last until October 25, as stated in a notification from the Ministry of ... Read more

Road fatalities: 446 crashes, 417 lives lost in September

News Desk : dhakamirror.com In September, a tragic report from the Road Safety Foundation revealed that at least 417 people lost their lives and 682 were injured in 446 road accidents throughout Bangladesh. Among those who died, there were 63 women and 47 children, as highlighted in the foundation’s monthly report released today. In 151 ... Read more

Man’s fatal fall into Ramna Park lake

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A tragic incident occurred yesterday at Ramna Park in the capital, where a man drowned in the lake. The victim has been identified as 55-year-old Wasimul Haq. The police were able to identify him using fingerprint records. According to Ramna police SI Mizanur Rahman, he was discovered unconscious around 6:00 PM ... Read more

Tariff Commission’s size-based hilsa pricing strategy

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC), also known as the Tariff Commission, has suggested setting a maximum retail price for hilsa based on its size. This recommendation comes in response to the unusual spike in prices seen in the local market. On Sunday, the Tariff Commission released a report detailing ... Read more

Ekushey Book Fair won’t happen in December

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangla Academy announced yesterday (28 September), that the previously scheduled dates for the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 have been postponed. In a press release, they explained that this decision was made following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 21, which indicated that the fair should ... Read more

Working in Bangladesh is quite challenging: CEC

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Election Commission is grappling with a mix of challenges, both seen and unseen, as it gears up for the upcoming elections and responds to various demands, shared chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Saturday. “These hurdles might not be apparent from the outside, but we’re constantly navigating through them,” ... Read more

Travel ban on Keokradong hill to be lifted starting from 1 October

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Great news for travelers! Keokradong hill in Bandarban’s Ruma upazila is set to welcome tourists again starting October 1. The district administration has finally lifted the travel ban that had been in effect for almost three years. Bandarban Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shamim Ara Rini announced the decision today (27 September) during ... Read more

Tree planting campaign to lower pollution, make city more attractive

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia has inaugurated a tree plantation and greening programme covering 33 road medians, spanning a total length of 31 kilometres, within the corporation’s jurisdiction. Under the “Zero Soil” programme, ornamental flowering trees and grasses will be planted across 28 DSCC medians, while the ... Read more

Krishi Bank ranks third in remittance collection

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Krishi Bank has shown remarkable success in collecting remittances from expatriates during the first eight months of 2025 (January–August). Known as bank for farmers due to its agricultural loan services, this state-owned institution has climbed to the third position in remittance collection from abroad in that timeframe. This notable achievement has ... Read more

North Bay low : Rain forecast for Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Many parts of the country is expected to witness moderate to heavy and very heavy rainfall in the coming days due to the formation of a low-pressure system over the north Bay and adjoining coastal areas, the Met office said in its latest forecast. According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department’s 120-hour weather ... Read more

Metrorail boosts service: Extended hours & more frequent arrivals

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka metrorail service is set to start operating earlier in the morning and later at night to better serve the growing number of passengers. Service hours will be extended by 30 minutes at both the beginning and end of the day, and the interval between trains will be reduced by nearly ... Read more

22% minors in Bangladesh’s sex trade

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least 22 percent of victims of commercial sexual exploitation (abuse of a person, or a minor, through sexual activities in exchange for money, goods, or other benefits) in Bangladesh are children, said speakers at an event yesterday. They shared the information at the launch of “Project Shurakkha”, an initiative of ... Read more

WB Reports Bangladesh Heat Costs at $1.78 Billion in 2024

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Rising temperatures in Bangladesh are fueling a surge in heat-related illnesses, leading to the loss of 250 million workdays in 2024 and economic losses estimated at $1.33–1.78 billion, representing about 0.3 to 0.4 percent of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, according to a new World Bank report. The report ... Read more

Police clearance no longer required for passports

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus announced that police verification will no longer be necessary for obtaining a passport, thereby reducing unnecessary hassle for citizens. “Getting a passport is a basic right. We have established a rule that eliminates the need for police verification,” he stated. While speaking at the opening session ... Read more

Metro rail achieves record 4 lakh daily passengers

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Metro Rail has achieved a remarkable milestone by carrying over 400,000 passengers in a single day. The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), which operates the Metro Rail, announced this achievement on their official Facebook page on Friday night. For the first time, Metro Rail recorded 403,164 passengers. The Metro Rail ... Read more

Most people, about 66% think civil servants behave as if they are rulers

News Desk : dhakamirror.com More than 100,000 participants have contributed their responses to reform commission’s online survey 80% of the respondents believe that the administration is not approachable for the general public, according to a survey conducted by the Public Administration Reform Commission. Additionally, 66% of participants feel that civil servants act as if they ... Read more

Former Justice Abdur Rouf dies

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former Chief Election Commissioner Justice Md Abdur Rouf has passed away at the age of 91. He died around 10:00 am while receiving treatment at Insaf Barakah Kidney and General Hospital in Dhaka, as stated in a press release. Justice Rouf had been battling heart disease, lung complications, kidney issues, and ... Read more

Bangladesh climbed 4 positions to rank 93rd in global passport index

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh has climbed four notches up in the latest Henley Passport Index 2025, ranking 93rd out of 99. However, the number of visa-free destinations for Bangladeshi passport holders has dropped from 42 in 2024 to 39 this year, reflecting a decline in global travel privileges. Despite this improvement in rank — ... Read more