The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Malnutrition rampant among migrants

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Monday, Nov 16, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Malnutrition rampant among migrants

Yogendra Kalavalapalli

There is a need to educate parents about nutritious food, say experts

Frequent travelling from one place to another deprive them of health care facilities
Children in urban slums are more prone to malnutrition than rural areas

PhotoS: Nagara Gopal

Reality bytes: Slum children in the city suffer from severe malnutrition owing to poor nutritional practices. —

HYDERABAD: Four-year-old Venkatesh’s mother Jyoti cannot fathom what’s wrong with her child. It’s been five months since ulcers first showed up on his small back and repeated visits to different doctors in the vicinity of Karmika Nagar proved futile, despite burning a hole in her purse.

What the illiterate mother, who earns a living making stone grinders fails to comprehend is that her child suffers from severe malnutrition hampering the wound from healing. Bones jutting out from his scaly, white-patched, inelastic skin and pale-coloured hair dry as coconut coir, Venkatesh exhibits all symptoms of a Kwarshiorkor-affected child.

In their slum alone, two children recently died due to high fever. “We spent a lot of money and took her to many hospitals but she couldn’t survive,” says M. Mahesh, whose daughter Jyothi expired last month.

Malnourishment levels are particularly high among children of migrant labourer communities. As most of them shift bases on a regular basis compared to those long-settled in slums they have no access to various government programmes.

No ANMs

“We were shocked to realise no Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) comes to slums. Last year, not one ANM visited construction sites to administer polio drops,” says Mridula Vemulapati, project head of Education Department, Dr. Reddy’s Foundation.

Children of migrant labour are underweight and have cracked lips and spots on their faces. “Even after one year we are unable to restore them to normal health. Anganwadi centres function only in notified slums and do not cater to migrant labour as they do not have the mandate,” she says.

An Anganwadi worker is supposed to meet the health and nutrition needs of pregnant women, nursing mothers and children (zero to six years).

Urban slums are more prone to malnutrition than rural areas as, most often, both parents go to work, says Dr. A. Tilak Chandra Pal, President of twin cities wing of Indian Academy of Paediatrics.

“Affordability is a big factor. Schemes such as Rs.2-a-kg rice and mid-day meal schemes go a long way in enhancing the nutrition of children. Parents should be educated on what food to take.”

Forced to begging

Street children are not far behind. “Malnutrition is chronic among them,” says K. Anuradha, convenor of Aman Vedika, working with them.

“They are prone to infections and wounds. Many small children die early and have lesser life span than others.”

“Street children usually are born to young mothers or homeless women suffering from diseases. In some cases, when they are abandoned or when mother dies, the children are ‘adopted’ and sent for begging where proper food is scarce leave alone nutritious food,” she says.

Access to proper healthcare is a major factor affecting these sections. Urban health posts are not equipped to deal with migrant labourers and at some sites, they have to walk long distances to reach a clinic, says Ms. Mridula.

Recession too has impacted the incomes of migrant labourers as reduced earnings aid child malnutrition.

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