KIDS SUFFERING MALNUTRITION EVADE REHAB

KIDS SUFFERING MALNUTRITION EVADE REHAB

Sasmita, a three- year- old daughter of Banamali Punji of Gumabahal village weighs about 7 kg. She was identified as a child with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). Sasmita was provided treatment in the CHC at Boden and was referred to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) at Nuapada, 90 km from Sasmita’s village.

Sasmita’s parents declined to take her to the NRC. “How can I stay at such a long distance alone with the child for long one month?” asks Chanchala, mother of Sasmita.

Gopinath Mali, one-and-a –half- year-old son of Remati and Bhajan Mali of Dahanapali village of the district is another child with SAM. She has been advised twice by the doctor for admission in to the NRC.

But, Remati would not go, because she has three other children at home, who can’t be left uncared for Verification of records of the Anganwadi Centres in 10 Gram Panchayats of Boden block reveals that there are more than 232 SAM children at present, which is about 6 per cent of the total children below the age of six. Girl child constitute 54 per cent of the total children with SAM. The Anganwadi centres running under the ICDS have a provision to refer the children with SAM to the Prustikar Divas (Nutrition Day) held once in every month at the CHC level. The children are provided treatment there and if found critical are further referred to the NRC located at the district headquarters. The information of Boden block in respect to the referral to Prustikar Diwas at CHC level and the NRC at district level is frustrating. Only 128 children with SAM (55 per cent) out of the total 232 have been referred to the Prustikar Divas by the Anganwadi Centres and only 84 of them have  attended.

The documents in the Anganwadi Centres reveal that a total of 41 children out of the existing 232 are with SAM for more than 3 months. These are the most critical cases and are in need of nutritional care and treatment at the NRC. But unfortunately, only four of them have been referred to the NRC between April, 2012 and March, 2013 but none of them were admitted.

The workers of the Anganwadi centre say that the parents of the children with SAM decline to go to  Nuapada. Discussions with the parents of four children who were referred to the NRC last year reveal that all of them have declined to go to the NRC. The reason is very simple for them - the mother cannot stay alone with the child at such a long distance from her village. “Had the NRC been located in the block headquarters or even at Khariar CHC, we would have stayed,” say the parents of the SAM children.