Laos battles to reduce malnutrition
Laos needs to improve its health standards and take action against malnutrition with the long term aim of ending hunger in the face of the country’s high rate of poverty. An inception workshop on nutrient gap analysis held on February 6 in Vientiane and attended by the Director General of the Hygiene and Health Promotion Department under the Ministry of Health, Dr Phath Keungsaneth, aimed to look at these issues. Dr Phath said the government recognises that chronic malnutrition is a major challenge to providing a multi-sectoral solution to nutritional problems in collaboration with development partners. To this end, the National Nutrition Strategy for 2016-25 and the Plan of Action for 2016-2020 have been drawn up. The 22 priorities named in the strategy recognise the role of different sectors in improving the nutrition situation.
