THE government will resolve the problem of children in low-income families suffering from malnutrition in Kuala Lumpur, said Women and Family Development Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Dr Wan Azizah said she was troubled by the Unicef report in Feburary of urban poor children whose growth was stunted because of poor diet.

“These kids are stunted and they live in Kuala Lumpur,” she said in Putrajaya this morning.

Dr Wan Azizah said she would also look into the welfare of senior citizens and empowerment of women.

This while she also worked to improve efficiency and reduce wastage at the ministry formerly known as the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. The ministry, which received a budget of RM1.98 billion last year, oversaw the social welfare department, women’s development department, National Population and Family Development Board, Social Institute of Malaysia, and Non-Aligned Movement Institute for the Empowerment of Women. 

The national average of stunting among children in Malaysia increased to 20.7% in 2016 from 17% in 2006. Stunting is more prevalent among underprivileged children, at 22% in Kuala Lumpur and 24% in Putrajaya, according to the report “Children Without: A study of urban child poverty and deprivation in low-cost flats in Kuala Lumpur”.

With a median monthly income of RM2,500, urban poor families cannot afford healthy meals for their children, who also lack conducive studying space in the low-cost flats, the report said. – May 22, 2018.