Pune hospital sets up nutrition centre for malnourished kids….Anuradha Mascarenhas
A year-old Sarang (name changed) from Warje Malwadi weighs only 4.25 kg, has a large head and is ailing with a congenital heart disease.
Richa (name changed) from Nana Peth, at nine months weighs a mere 5.4 kg and is suffering from megaloblastic anaemia apart from vitamin B-12 and folic acid deficiencies.
These are just two of the severely marlnourished children from economically deprived families in the city. Though their parents try to get primary treatment for their ailments, little thought is given to the nutritional deficiencies that aggravate their malnourished condition. To bridge that gap, government run B J Medical College and Sassoon general hospital has in a first set up a Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) for children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
Not only will the centre identify SAM children from among those at the paediatric Out Patient Department, but it has also chalked out a structured programme for the development of the child during its 12-21 day stay. A special diet that combines proteins and calorie-rich food will be prepared at the centre and the child will be provided six to eight feeds, says Dr Aarti Kinikar, in charge of the NRC.
An assessment of the children visiting the paediatric OPD last month showed that out of 300 such cases, at least 50-60 suffered from varying degrees of malnutrition. Most suffer from illnesses like HIV, respiratory and other chronic disorders, said Kinikar, adding that the patients come from various parts of the city as well as the state. What we realised is that the babys nutrition is never considered. A majority of the patients are from poor families. Hence, the focus was on setting up a nutrition rehabilitation centre where the child would be looked after and mother would be counselled on the right foods to be given, said Kinikar.
The WHO has revised the child growth standards and identification of SAM in infants and children. Earlier, the degree of malnutrition was assessed by comparing the weight of the child to his or her age. Now, the childs height in cm is compared to the weight and if the standard deviation is under 3, then he or she is categorised as malnourished.
The NRC, which cost around Rs 20 lakh, was started on July 2 with assistance from private donors. Its interiors are bright and child-friendly. At present, four of the 12 beds are occupied by patients like Richa. Richas mother is a housewife while her father is a driver who earns Rs 6,000 per month. Richa is the couples third daughter. When her parents realised that she was not growing, was pale and had irregular pigmentation, they brought her to Sassoon hospital.
She has swelling in her feet and suffers from a condition called kwashiorkor, a form of malnutrition where there is not enough protein in the diet, says Kinikar. A special liquid diet of ground puffed rice mixed with cooking oil and sugar is given along with semi-solid food made of roasted and cooked groundnut mixed with coconut oil and milk powder, she added.
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/city-anchor-sassoon-sets-up-nutrition-centre-for-malnourished-kids/970984/0