Sri Lanka’s opposition parties demand answers over country’s spiraling malnutrition

30 Aug 2022 --- Members of parliament in Sri Lanka are calling for a debate to discuss the country’s growing malnutrition problem, after a UNICEF report revealed the nation ranks second in South Asia in terms of wasting among children under five.

“Sri Lanka, a country normally known for its rapid economic growth and booming tourism, is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. Families are skipping regular meals as staple foods become unaffordable. Children are going to bed hungry, unsure of where their next meal will come from,” says George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF regional director for South Asia, after visiting Sri Lanka.

UNICEF is procuring 3,630 cartons of ready-to-eat therapeutic food (RUTF) to treat children with severe acute malnutrition. According to the humanitarian organization, there are currently 56,000 children with severe acute malnutrition under the age of five, needing urgent treatment. 

Sri Lanka is among the top ten countries with the highest number of malnourished children and the numbers are expected to rise further.Money for official residences?
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa told parliament that Sri Lanka now ranks sixth in the world where child malnutrition is concerned. He demands Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella make a statement to the country’s parliament within a week, based on UNICEF’s revelations on the stark numbers across the country. 

“One might say nothing could be done because the country is bankrupt, but then Cabinet approval has been given to allocate 400 million rupees (US$1.1 million) for the construction of official residences. I think the children must be thought of before that,” he outlined. 

While money appeared to be splurged elsewhere, the UN has long called for urgent funding amid growing malnutrition fears which have led people to protest. 

Premadasa also called on the government to re-introduce a midday meal program for school children. Leader of the House Susil Premajayantha said the government is teaming up with private sector contributors, NGOs and foreign governments through their embassies in Sri Lanka and other actors to address the issue.

Children being compromised
According to UNICEF, Sri Lanka is enduring a major economic, energy and political crisis with millions of citizens in desperate need of assistance. In the first half of the year, 14,370 children (7,200 girls and 7,170 boys) were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition at the maternal and child health clinics and referred to the specialist hospital for management.

“All children in Sri Lanka are severely affected by the worsening economic and political crises. Persistent fiscal deficits, severe depletion of foreign reserves and political instability mean families are enduring daily struggles to afford nutritious food and access lifesaving services including health, nutrition, education, child protection, water and social protection.”

After his visit to Sri Lanka, Laryea-Adjei described children are disproportionately affected. “Children’s education is being hindered by the current crisis in many ways – children no longer get the warm and nutritious meal that they used to have before the crisis, they lack basic stationery, and their teachers struggle with transportation.” 

“If the current trend continues, hard-earned progress for children in Sri Lanka is at risk of being reversed and in some cases, erased permanently.” 

Meanwhile, UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Health to conduct a national nutrition and micronutrient survey to study the prevalence of key micronutrient deficiencies, with the aim of assessing the coverage of key nutrition interventions and household food insecurity.Sri Lanka’s Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia George Laryea-Adjei.

Threats across South Asia
According to Laryea-Adjei, if action is not taken now to protect children, they will be plunged further into poverty, with a price to be paid for their health, nutrition and learning.

“What I saw in Sri Lanka is a caution for other countries in South Asia. We cannot let children pay the price for crises, not of their making. We must act today to secure their futures tomorrow.” Earlier this year, the UN warned that Sri Lanka’s “misery” is a warning to everyone on the global food crisis after the country defaulted on its debt in June.

“Acute economic precarity and inflation across South Asia is poised to further threaten the lives of children – in a region which was already home to one-fifth of the world’s extreme poor and profound hardships and inequities impacting children’s health, learning and safety, and in a region which was severely impacted by COVID-19.” 

While RUTF has long been seen as an affordable solution for severe malnutrition, a price hike in raw ingredients has meant the item is set to see its price soar by 16% in the upcoming months. An expert has touted plant-based RUTF may be a more affordable solution that has almost the same results. 

By Andria Kades