The article, “ >Investing in health through hygiene ” (July 28), rightly points to the importance of sanitation in bringing down levels of malnutrition. There is a clamour for establishing medical colleges and hospitals to tackle health issues, but the most fundamental issue is ignored. ICDS workers can play a pivotal role in spreading awareness about nutrition and sanitation at the village level. They should be made responsible to local bodies and asked to maintain a record of health cards of villagers.
Yogeshwar N. Tompe,Nanded
India holds the unenviable reputation of being the capital of many dreaded diseases like drug-resistant TB, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, mainly due to malnutrition attributable to poor hygiene, and not lack of adequate food. Providing enough nutritious food to children afflicted with ailments caused by poor sanitation is akin to filling a porous pail. Health care certainly deserves better attention and it should include potable water, modern drainage and sewerage systems, and waste disposal plants.
Ayyasseri Raveendranath,Aranmula, Kerala
As has been rightly pointed out, malnutrition can be effectively addressed only through a two-pronged strategy of ensuring adequate access to nutritious food and addressing public health concerns. Educating the younger generation about personal hygiene by making it a part of school curriculum can go a long way in improving sanitation.
Chaitra Gowda V.,Bangalore
