LAHORE – The Punjab government will make laws to ensure use of 100 percent iodised salt in the province, Punjab Health Parliamentary Secretary Saeed Elahi said on Monday.
He was addressing a media dissemination workshop at a local hotel. Saeed said that use of iodised salt prevents children and adults from various diseases and mental and physical complications.
The parliamentary secretary said that the Punjab government with collaboration of the Micronutrient Initiative and the World Food Programme has succeeded to ensure access of iodised salt to 90 million people of Punjab. He said this tremendous achievement will help children perform better in schools, as their Intelligent Quotient (IQ) will increase with consumption of iodised salt.
Saeed said that continuous use of iodised salt will help control the adverse effects of iodine deficiency on pregnant mothers and reduce birth of cretins, deaf and dumb children. The parliamentary secretary said that the most common disease in adults is goiter, which is developed due to deficiency of iodine. He told the audience that the success of the Punjab Health Department in achieving more than 90 percent edible salt iodisation in all 36 districts of Punjab is another evidence of the commitment of the Punjab CM.
Saeed urged the print and electronic media to remove negative impressions about the use of iodised salt among the people, as it has no link with family planning. He said that after Poland, Pakistan has the largest salt reserves in the world, adding “we are lucky to be using mineral salt in Pakistan, while rest of the world mostly uses sea salt”. Punjab Health Services Director Dr Anwar Janjua and National Programme Manager Dr Tauseef Janjua also spoke on the occasion.
