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MoPH observes World Health Day

By Akhtar M. Nikzad-KABUL: Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday marked the World Health Day with the theme “From farm to plate make food safe”.

The day is observed by MoPH and WHO in the country, whereas daily tens of people lose their live due consuming unhygienic food.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of MoPH, Ferozuddin Feroz, said that selling of unhygienic food in the bazaars create serious challenges for consumers.

He pointed that import of spurious food items and poor quality drugs were making people sick.

The minister said that unsafe food items result in chronic diseases such as high cholesterol, heart ache, diarrheas, and high blood pressure.

Regarding preparations to prevent vendors from selling unsafe foods, he said that unfortunately the ministry of public health is not equipped with necessary tools to control the flow of unhealthy food.

“There is only one center to control the poor quality foods and drugs in the country and the center has not been modernized to oversee the markets. Therefore, we have decided to build a modern center in Kabul within next four months to end import of unhygienic foods and spurious drugs in the country,” he said.

Afghanistan is a consumer country which imports around 85% of foods from neighboring counties, however, no one knows that to what extent these items are safe to be consumed.

The WHO Emergency Coordinator, Iman Shankiti, said that unsafe foods pose global health threats, endangering every one. Babies, children, pregnant women, and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Foodborne and waterborne diseases annually kill around two million people, mostly children, in the developing countries.

She said the WHO is committed to support Afghanistan’s health sector in fields of capacity building and development of polices, guidelines and regulations to prevent, detect and manage foodborne diseases in the country.

The WHO in 1948 held the First World Health Assembly. It was decided to celebrate April 7 as the World Health Day.

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