A better start for children

The earliest years of life are often decisive in shaping the future of a child, and for Pakistan this truth carries profound urgency. Chronic malnutrition has long cast a shadow over childhood development, leaving generations vulnerable to poor health, diminished learning capacity, and reduced productivity. Against this backdrop, recent findings from the Benazir Nashonuma Programme offer a rare glimmer of hope. An evaluation conducted by the Aga Khan University revealed that beneficiary children experienced a 22 percent reduction in stunting at six months and an 18 percent decline at one year. These improvements were accompanied by reductions in low birth weight, premature deliveries, and vulnerable newborns. For a country where malnutrition has been entrenched for decades, such gains are significant and potentially transformative.
The scale of the programme is equally encouraging. Operating across 157 districts, it has reportedly reached more than 4.5 million women and children through facilitation and stabilisation centres. This reflects a more integrated approach to poverty and nutrition, one that recognises the complex links between food insecurity, maternal health, healthcare access, and financial vulnerability. By combining social protection with nutrition support and maternal care, the initiative has begun to address the root causes of stunting rather than merely its symptoms.
Yet despite these achievements, Pakistan’s challenges remain immense. The country continues to rank among those with the highest burdens of child stunting and maternal malnutrition. Millions of women still face pregnancies without adequate prenatal care, trained birth attendants, or emergency obstetric services. In remote and impoverished areas, healthcare facilities are often understaffed, poorly equipped, or too far away to reach in time. The quality of care a mother receives is still determined largely by geography and income, a reality that perpetuates inequality and undermines national progress.
A central reason for these shortcomings is Pakistan’s chronically low investment in health. Public healthcare spending has hovered around 1 to 1.5 percent of GDP for years, among the lowest in the region. This underinvestment manifests in overcrowded hospitals, failing community health centres, shortages of essential medicines, and limited prenatal and paediatric services. Programmes such as the Benazir Nashonuma Programme can ease immediate vulnerabilities, but they cannot substitute for a robust and well-funded public healthcare system.
The lesson is clear: Pakistan must commit to sustained investment in healthcare, nutrition, and preventive services for women and children. Ensuring that every mother and child has access to quality care is not an act of charity; it is a measure of national development and a prerequisite for long-term prosperity. The gains recorded under the Nashonuma initiative demonstrate what is possible when targeted interventions are combined with social protection. But to secure a healthier future for millions, the state must go beyond pilot successes and embed these principles into a comprehensive national health strategy.
A better start for Pakistan’s children is within reach. The question is whether the country will seize this opportunity and build a system that protects its most vulnerable citizens not just for today, but for generations to come.