Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has come under severe criticism after distributing infant formula milk among flood-affected families in Wazirabad, with nutritionists, pediatricians, and even health authorities warning that such a move could endanger children’s lives in devastated areas where clean drinking water is scarce and the risk of diarrheal outbreaks is already high.
In a shocking contradiction, official correspondence from the Directorate of Health Services has advised the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to curb the distribution of formula milk in flood relief operations, warning that it poses grave risks in unsafe water conditions.
Yet Maryam Nawaz has been seen publicly promoting and distributing the very product her own health department wants restricted, triggering outrage among public health professionals who accuse her of dangerous ignorance.
Maryam Nawaz, who only weeks ago visited a Morinaga formula milk plant in Japan and invited the company to set up manufacturing in Punjab while openly praising formula milk as “good for infants,” posted pictures of relief packages containing bananas, dates and boxes of infant formula being handed out to families displaced by floods.
The initiative, presented as a step to meet nutritional needs of flood victims, has sparked fury among experts who describe it as reckless political optics that could have deadly consequences.
Prominent nutritionists Munawar Hussain and Irshad Danish strongly reacted to the development, pointing out that powdered infant formula is unsafe without guaranteed access to clean water and sterilization. They warned that in flood-hit Punjab, where water supplies are contaminated and sanitation facilities broken, preparing formula with unsafe water could lead to fatal outbreaks of diarrhea, cholera and other intestinal infections among vulnerable children.
“In humanitarian emergencies, introducing formula is not relief, it is a recipe for disaster,” one expert remarked, urging the provincial leadership to immediately halt such distributions.
Pediatricians associated with the Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) expressed shock and dismay, saying they were stunned by the Chief Minister’s decision. They said they would take up the issue at every relevant forum, as global guidelines for infant and young child feeding in emergencies clearly discourage distribution of formula in disaster-hit areas without strict safeguards.
A senior pediatrician said, “This is negligence at the highest level. Instead of promoting breastfeeding and safe foods, the government has put infants’ lives at greater risk.”
Ironically, pediatricians in Punjab have remained largely silent, with insiders claiming that the political environment under the PML-N leadership discourages criticism of government decisions. According to health professionals, doctors and scientists fear political reprisals if they challenge the provincial government publicly, a silence that has further frustrated national experts who see this as yet another case of political gestures trumping science.
Public health professionals stressed that in disasters and emergencies, exclusive breastfeeding is the safest option for infants under six months, while ready-to-use therapeutic foods that require no preparation or water are preferable for older children. Formula milk, they said, should only be considered where there is guaranteed access to potable water, sterilization equipment, and proper counseling. By distributing formula in flood-hit Punjab without ensuring these safeguards, Maryam Nawaz, they argue, has displayed a shocking disregard for basic public health principles.
The controversy has also revived criticism of her broader push for formula milk in Punjab. Her visit to Japan’s Morinaga plant, where she invited investment and publicly lauded formula milk as good for babies, had already drawn ire from nutritionists and breastfeeding advocates who accused her of undermining global and national efforts to protect and promote breastfeeding. Her latest move, they say, proves once again that political image-building is being prioritized over the lives of children.
Health experts and aid workers now fear that if formula distribution continues unchecked in flood relief camps, cases of diarrhea, dehydration and cholera will sharply rise in the coming weeks, overwhelming an already burdened health system. They are urging the provincial government to suspend formula distribution immediately, respect the warnings of its own health services directorate, and instead focus on supporting breastfeeding mothers, providing safe drinking water, and ensuring therapeutic food supplies that do not require water for preparation.
For many experts, the formula milk episode has become symbolic of the growing gulf between political grandstanding and scientific realities in Punjab’s disaster response. While desperate families welcomed relief packages amid dire shortages, health professionals insist that good intentions cannot excuse actions that carry lethal risks for infants. Maryam Nawaz, they warn, must correct course urgently before her relief strategy turns into a full-blown public health disaster.
Ends