To increase access to quality health services, the purchasing power of the people must be increased. In addition, the health insurance programs introduced by the state must also be made effective. In addition to increasing access to nutritious food, nutrition education is also necessary.
On the one hand, the rush for large-scale physical development and prosperity, on the other, the increase in hunger - Nepal currently appears to be in a conflict between priorities and reality. The 'Global Hunger Index 2025' report, released by 'Welt Hunger Hilfe' and 'Lee-Bird' on Tuesday, has placed Nepal as a country with 'middle-class hunger'.
According to the report, the situation of hunger and the rate of child stunting have increased in Nepal. The state needs to make additional efforts to minimize the impact of hunger and stunting on the overall development of the groups affected by it, to identify the causes of this and to bring about improvements in the coming days.
It will also be challenging for Nepal to achieve positive achievements and meet the ‘Zero Hunger’ goal of sustainable development by 2030. Therefore, hard work is required to implement practical policies, adequate budget management and programs that benefit the target group.
In the ‘Global Hunger Index’ (GHI), Nepal was ranked 68th out of 123 countries in 2024, but this year it has fallen four places to 72nd. Nepal’s ‘GHI’ score has increased from 14.7 to 14.8. The increase in the ‘Hunger Index’ shows that the hunger situation in Nepal is getting worse.
Similarly, the child stunting rate among children under the age of five has increased from 24.8 percent to 26 percent. Child stunting is considered to be a condition of not getting enough nutritious food for a long time. The population with malnutrition or low calorie consumption is 5.3 percent in Nepal.
Child mortality rate is 2.6 percent and child wasting is 7 percent. Nepal, which was classified as a country with 'severe hunger' with a 'GHI' score of 37.1 in 2000, has made significant improvements in its situation, but the latest data indicates that efforts are still needed.
The total score of 'GHI' is calculated based on nutritional status, malnutrition, stunting and child mortality. Therefore, the 'GHI' is not satisfactory, and a large population is still deprived of nutritious food. This is compounded by food insecurity, unequal distribution of food or lack of access. Another problem is that those who eat do not eat a balanced diet or are not able to eat it.
Similarly, when a mother does not get the nutritious food she needs during pregnancy or childbirth, the child born or born is also affected. Malnutrition, stunting or child mortality are seen as the results, and many complications are associated with their causes. For example, the mother and the child themselves are not able to eat enough food or nutritious food, lack of easy access to health services, lack of a hygienic environment, and deprivation of services such as vaccination have affected the overall hunger index.
Article 30 of the Constitution of Nepal provides for the ‘right to a clean environment’, Article 35 for the ‘right to health’, Article 36 for the ‘right to food’, Article 38 for the ‘right of women’, Article 39 for the ‘right of children’ and Article 42 for the ‘right to social justice’.
All these rights are not just meant to decorate the constitution, but to oblige the state to provide qualitative benefits to the lives of the people. However, like all other fundamental rights, the state of their implementation is also weak. Therefore, the state should be most committed to the implementation of the constitution. If that happens, hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition, undernourishment, stunting and child mortality will automatically decrease. All indices related to human development will improve.
If the path specified by the constitution, the policies adopted by countries that have made rapid improvements in the 'Hunger Index', and the programs that suit our geographical and social environment can be followed accordingly, the coming days will be encouraging for us as well. Nepal should increase its efforts mainly to increase food security. For that, positive results are not possible by keeping agriculture as a disreputable and compulsory profession as it is now. The government must bring a policy that increases agricultural production and ensures a certain income from it.
If the policy to promote local food systems can be made practical, not only will the food culture that is becoming dependent on imports and is fragmented improve, but food security will also increase. Similarly, indigenous crops and mixed farming should be expanded. The government should join hands with the international community to minimize the impact of climate change on agriculture, housing, and health.
In order to increase access to quality health services, the purchasing power of the people should be increased. In addition, the health insurance programs introduced by the state should also be made effective. In addition to increasing access to nutritious food, nutrition education is also necessary.
Priority should also be given to programs targeting mothers and children. For example, the period from when a woman becomes pregnant until the child reaches two years of age, which is called the golden 1000 days, there are basically some aspects that are worth mentioning. First, pregnant women should be able to take folic acid, iron pills, and other additional medicines as needed and eat sufficient nutritious food.
Second, they should be able to get regular health care. Third, newborn babies should be able to eat breast milk and a more balanced diet over time. They should have access to a healthy environment, health services, and prescribed vaccinations. Government programs should target geographically remote and vulnerable communities. The government should prioritize efforts to improve the living standards of the vulnerable in the context of development and prosperity. The qualitative changes that occur in them should be considered a success.
