National Council on Nutrition established in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka established a National Council on Nutrition today to uplift the nutritional level of pregnant women and children in the country.


President Mahinda Rajapaksa attended the first meeting of the National Nutrition Council established at the Temple Trees today.


Explaining the need to establish the Council Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena said although various programmes were implemented to uplift the nutritional level of pregnant women and children none of them has delivered the expected results.
National Council on Nutrition has been set up to fulfill this objective and the Ministries of Education, Agriculture, Environment, and Trade have been coordinated for its functioning.
Data from a Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) by Sri Lanka's health ministry have revealed that child malnutrition is more than 50 percent in some areas of the East and North, with the national average at a record 29 percent.
The government aims to eradicate malnutrition by this year.
Ministers Maithripala Sirisena Basil Rajapaksa, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Salinda Dissanayake, Rajitha Senarathna, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga are the members of the National Nutrition Council.
Country Representative of Food and Agriculture Organization Patrick T. Evans, Country Representative of World Health Organization Dr. Firdosi Rustom Mehta, Country Director of World Food Programme Adnan Khan, Country Representative of UNICEF Reza Hossaini, Chief of Health and Nutrition Section at UNICEF Dr. SM Moazzem Hossain, Senior Health, Nutrition and Population Specialist of UNICEF Dr. Sudararajan Gopalan were also present.
(Photos by Sudath Silva)