Treatment centre soon in W Singhbhum
JAMSHEDPUR: In a bid to tackle malnourishment in children, a 50-bed dedicated malnutrition centre will soon come up at Bara Chiru health centre near district headquarters in West Singhbhum district, officials said on Sunday.
As per officials, the centre would cater to over 3,015 identified malnourished children in the district free of cost.
“We are going to start a dedicated malnutrition treatment centre (MTC) at Bara Chiru with 50 beds in addition to the existing 60 beds at the MTC in Chaibasa sadar hospital (CSH) and community health centres (CHCs). The new MTC will teat over 3,015 malnourished children identified in the district free of cost. Such children need 2-3 weeks each for proper treatment, which means not more than 1,200 malnourished children can be treated in a year. Hence, we have decided to start the new dedicated MTC, as per the guidance of state social justice and welfare minister Joba Majhi,” Arwa Rajkamal, West Singhbhum deputy commissioner (DC), said.
West Singhbhum is severely plagued by the malnourishment in children, with its Khuntpani block accounting for 67% of underweight children, the highest in India. Over 45% children are malnourished in the state compared to the national average of 38.4%, as per the National Family Health Survtey (NFHS)-4 in 2015-16.
As per NFHS-4, about 47.8% children under the age of five years are underweight, 45.3% stunted, 29% wasted and 11.4% severely wasted in the state. The under-five years mortality rate was 54 per 1,000 live births, while infant mortality rate was 44 per 1,000 live births in the state.
The DC said they would also provide accommodation to mothers and siblings of the under-treatment malnourished children at Bara Chiru MTC, where beds would gradually be increased to 100.
“Most of the mothers of malnourished children are reluctant to get their children treated by keeping them at the MTC, away from them and home. We have decided to accommodate them at the MTC and also give ₹130 as cash incentive per day, along with nutritional supplement and medicines to cure anaemia,” said the DC.
Deputy collector Javed Hussain will be the project nodal officer, while management and running of the new MTC would be taken care of by Chaibasa MTC nodal officer Dr Jagannath Hembram.
As per official records, more than 1,000 malnourished children were treated at four MTCs in West Singhbhum district in 2016-2017.
Children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) have a higher risk of dying than wellnourished children, Dr Hembram said .
The problem is at an alarming level in Khuntpani, Manjhgaon, Manoharpur and Jagannathpur. “Tribal life-style needs to change to control malnutrition among children. The government provides around ₹16 lakh for such children at MTCs in Chaibasa every year. We are planning to make three blocks, including Khuntpani, Chaibasa and Tantnagar free from SAM,” he said.