South Cotabato Strengthens Drive Vs Malnutrition

The provincial government of South Cotabato has formed a special convergence team that will spearhead efforts for the elimination of malnutrition cases in various barangays.

South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said Tuesday the team is initially tasked to focus on the top 20 barangays in the province that have registered high malnutrition prevalence rates these past years.

The team, which is headed by the governor, is composed of officials and personnel from the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), Provincial Nutrition Office and various partner government and non-government groups.

Dubbed as the Nutrition Convergence Team (NCT), it was mainly established to set and implement strategies that would improve the nutritional health status of children in the identified priority barangays.

“We mainly pushed for a convergence effort to create more impact and ensure that we will be able to meet our targets,” the governor said.

In 2015, the IPHO cited that the malnutrition rate among children aged five years-old and below has dropped to 5.71 percent from 9.74 percent in 2011.

But it noted that 20 of the province’s 199 barangays have malnutrition prevalence rates of as high as 29 percent.

Seven of these barangays are in T’boli town, three in Lake Sebu, two each in Banga and Tantangan, one each in Tampakan and Norala, and four in Koronadal City.

Data released by the Provincial Nutrition Office showed that Barangay Tbolok in T’boli town posted the highest malnutrition prevalence rate at 29.71 percent.

Ma. Ana Uy, Provincial Nutrition Action Officer, said the convergence activities in the target barangays will start within the second quarter of the year.

She said they have linked up with the local nutrition offices in the area for the rollout of the initiative and provision of necessary assistance.

“We will have better success in combating this problem if we work hand-in-hand and really committed towards our goals,” she added.(PNA) BNB/AVE/AC