Nashik health office told to admit 131 malnourished kids

Nashik: Usually, though less than 10% of severely acute malnourished (SAM) children require hospitalisation, the district administration has directed the district health office to admit all the 131 SAM children for immediate and better treatment.
The district has 131 SAM children in the 0-5 year age group, and there are 938 moderately acute malnourished (MAM) children.Most of the SAM and MAM cases are reported from the tribal belt of the district. During monsoon, when the intensity of rain increases, it is likely that the people are locked up in their houses, which takes a toll on the health of the children.
“To ensure the best treatment to the children suffering from SAM, collector Gangatharan D has given orders to admit these children to child treatment centre (CTC) and even to the nutrition rehabilitation centre (NRC),” said Deepak Chate, deputy chief executive officer, integrated child development scheme.
The decision was taken during the ‘core committee' meeting. The committee discusses the health issues of tribal children and the issues faced by tribal people in the district. The officer pointed out that MAM children are given treatment in anganwadis, and the SAM children are given treatment in CTCs. The SAM children who are critically ill are admitted to NRC.
At times, the parents do not stay in the CTC to complete the 14-day treatment of the children because of issues like loss of employment. “The collector has asked the administration to admit the children to CTC and NRC as required and provide stay and food facilities for the parents so that they stay and complete the treatment,” another officer said.