On 18 January 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), announced the establishment of 40 new nutrition stabilization centres to provide life-saving treatment for children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications. Since November, these centres have been set up to expand access to specialized care, bringing WHO’s nationwide support to a total of 169 centres staffed by 700 professionals. Collectively, these facilities serve over 70,000 children annually and provide nutritional counselling to 120,000 mothers and caregivers.
One of the newly inaugurated centres is located at Bacha Khan Medical Complex in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and was officially opened by BISP Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid, WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Luo Dapeng, and KP Health Minister Khaleeq Ur Rehman. Senator Khalid highlighted the importance of BISP’s Benazir Nashonuma Programme in improving maternal and child health and emphasized plans to expand the nutrition centres in coordination with provincial governments.
The 40 new centres are expected to reach approximately 15,000 children annually. WHO has supported these facilities through renovations, human resource capacity-building, supply of therapeutic foods, and comprehensive technical assistance. Across all stabilization centres supported by WHO and BISP, the cure rate for treated children stands at 97%, demonstrating the effectiveness of the intervention in managing severe malnutrition cases.
Dr Luo Dapeng of WHO Pakistan emphasized the life-saving impact of the programme, noting that these centres address the most challenging malnutrition cases with a science-based approach. He stressed WHO’s commitment to supporting Pakistan in ensuring equitable access to health services, regardless of socioeconomic status or location.
Pakistan remains one of the ten countries globally where more than half of children under five experience stunting, wasting, or both. Currently, 40% of children under five are stunted, affecting 10 million children, while 17.7% experience wasting, affecting 5 million children. Acute malnutrition contributes to an estimated annual economic loss of US$17 billion.
Despite these challenges, evidence from BISP’s Nashonuma programme—implemented with WHO and other UN partners such as WFP and UNICEF—shows significant results, including a 20% reduction in stunting by six months of age and a 5.6 percentage-point decline in low birth weight among beneficiaries. WHO remains committed to partnering with Pakistan to strengthen health and nutrition programmes and improve child survival and development outcomes across the country.
