The government has implemented an act on the production and sale and distribution of iodized salt. The Act was enacted in 2055 and came into force after 26 years. The law came into effect after the proposal submitted by Health and Population Minister Pradeep Paudel was passed by the Council of Ministers meeting on May 2.
With the implementation of the Act, the Ministry of Health has opened the legal way to proceed with the work on solving the health problems caused by iodine found in excess in children in previous research. It was mentioned that the notification of the issuance of the
act will be published in the gazette on January 1, 2055 and will commence from the specified date. Since the governments since then did not publish notices in the gazette for implementation, the Act was not legally enforced. Because of this, regulations and guidelines could not be made for the implementation and regulation of the Act. Now, after two and a half decades, the legal way has been opened for the ministry to proceed with this work.
Tuesday's Council of Ministers meeting has decided to publish a notice in the gazette with effect from the 1st of July. Along with this, the law will be implemented after 26 years. Lila Vikram Thapa, Head of the Nutrition Branch under the Health Services Department of the Ministry of Health, said that a decade ago research by the Ministry showed that due to the standards made in the past in Nepal, serious health problems occurred when more iodine was available in children.
In the micronutrient analysis survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Population in 2016, 314 were found that 300 micrograms per liter of iodine should be in the urine of 6 to 9-year-old children. Due to this, doctors say that problems such as high blood pressure and thyroid appear. Even though
has practically been practiced, since there is no notice of the publication of the details of the act and its scope in the gazette, it has become a hindrance to solve the health problem by creating regulations and guidelines, said Dr. Prakash Budhathoki said. "Now, it will be easy to modify standards or do other necessary work together with the Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Prosperity," he said.
