Tackling malnutrition among children

The Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre gets around seven such cases every month

Mysore Karnataka: 11 07 2014: The department of women and child development is claiming to be addressing nutritional deficiencies among the children through the anganwadi centres in Mysore district. FILE PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

The Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in the children’s wing of Cheluvamba Hospital, a hospital for women and children attached to the Mysore Medical College and Research Institute here, has been getting about six to seven cases of children suffering from malnutrition every month.

The 20-bed specialised centre was launched in November 2012 for the rehabilitation of malnourished children below six years of age hailing from the district.

MMCRI Director Dr. Krishnamurthy told

The Hindu that the NRC has not come across children suffering from serious malnutrition from the district but treated some children who lacked certain nutritional levels.

The MMCRI director said that anganwadi teachers and helpers, who work under the Department of Women and Child Development, identify children suffering from nutrition deficiencies and take them to a local government medical officer for screening. If required, they are brought to the NRC for treatment such as administering nutritional supplements.

The children’s mothers must be present during treatment, he explained.

After two to three weeks of treatment (depending on the cases) and orientation to their mothers, the children are discharged. The mothers were educated on the steps to be taken to prevent deficiencies in their children in later stages, Dr. Krishnamurthy said.

The NRC has two full-time paediatricians, eight nursing staff, a medical and social counsellor, a nutritional counsellor and a cook. The nutritionist educates the mothers on nutritional supplements to be given to malnourished child and the cook demonstrates food preparations. Food rich in nutrition, vegetables, a high calorie diet and other important factors for improving nutrition in children are explained, Dr. Krishnamurthy said, adding that the anganwadi centres conduct post-treatment assessment.

The expenses towards the treatment of children are met by the hospital. Under Bala Sanjeevani scheme, the department extends some benefits to boost children’s nutrition, he said.

During the treatment at NRC, the mothers of malnourished children get Rs. 100 a day as an incentive.

Steps were initiated to improve the nutritional levels of 1,447 children who were identified as malnourished by the Department of Women and Child Development, after a survey two years ago.

Eggs and milk were introduced as supplementary diet besides the regular diet for children aged between 3 and 6 in about 2,827 anganwadis.