The number of Filipinos dying of malnutrition hit a record in January to October 2021, according to the latest data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (See, “10-month malnutrition deaths soar 40% in 2021, record high,” in the BusinessMirror, January 17, 2022). The statistics agency said 4,844 Filipinos died in the 10-month period compared to 3,514 fatalities in the same period in 2020. The latest figure is the highest since 2006 when deaths due to malnutrition breached 2,000.
Prior to 2021, deaths caused by malnutrition have been rising, according to the PSA. Before 2019, deaths reached 3,645 and 3,582 in 2018 and 2017, respectively. Malnutrition deaths, as defined by PSA, covers those caused by kwashiorkor, nutritional marasmus, marasmic kwashiorkor, and unspecified severe protein-energy malnutrition. It also covers deaths caused by protein-energy malnutrition of moderate and mild degree, retarded development following protein-energy malnutrition, and unspecified protein-energy malnutrition.
The PSA report is lamentable as these deaths are preventable. All we need to do is to strengthen mechanisms in place to ensure that the poor have access to nutritious food and health interventions, particularly during the pandemic. Those who lost their jobs during the pandemic were forced to scrimp on food and to resort to eating unhealthy but cheap items to ease their hunger pangs. While instant noodles and canned sardines are plentiful and readily available, these products do not provide all the nutritional needs of a growing child.
Unfortunately, a joint report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Children’s Fund indicated that the ranks of those who have limited access to food in the country expanded in 2020. The report titled “2021 Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition,” revealed that the number of food-insecure Filipinos rose by more than 2 million to 46.1 million in 2020. Of the 46.1-million food-insecure people in the country, the FAO-Unicef report estimated that 4.3 million Filipinos experienced severe food insecurity last year, up from the 3.4 million recorded in 2019 (See, “Food-insecure Pinoys up to 46.1 million—UN report,” in the BusinessMirror, December 27, 2021).
As the pandemic drags on and businesses are affected by the mobility restrictions, the ranks of those experiencing food insecurity may expand in the coming years. What’s worse is the physical and mental development of children will be severely affected if they are continuously denied access to nutritious food and timely health intervention. An increase in the number of sickly kids and adults will drain the government’s health fund and make it more difficult for the Philippines to reach the goal of achieving upper middle income status.
A number of economists have urged policy-makers to prioritize giving direct assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises, and provide more ayuda to those who lost their jobs. Extending assistance to MSMEs, which employ more than 90 percent of workers in the country, will allow them to retain their employees even during the pandemic. The best way to solve the country’s malnutrition problem is to create jobs for all Filipinos.