Nutritionists have underlined the need of comprehensive enactment of legislation for compulsory fortification of salt with iodine to overcome its severe deficiency to avoid health hazards and economic loss, the country was facing due to scarcity of iodine in edible items.
Health experts unanimously opined for effective laws in a consultation workshop on legislation for Universal Salt Iodization (USI) arranged jointly by health department and micronutrient initiatives (MI) in Peshawar. Nutritionists, health experts and health authorities both from federal and provincial government participated in the workshop.
Dr. Fazle Qayyum, Director Public Health, NWFP in his welcome address said that the workshop had been organized on highly important issue. He hoped that recommendations put forth by the participants would help in improving laws for universal salt-iodization. He asked the participants to focus on removal of the obstacles faced by field staff ensuring supply of iodized salt.