Due to dispute in the tender, the Department of Health Services could not purchase alternative nutrients
12-month-old Prapti KC, suffering from severe malnutrition, is undergoing treatment at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center in Butwal. Even after 7 days of being admitted to the center, there is no sign of improvement. The reason is the lack of nutritious food eaten by the malnourished.
The problem of severe malnutrition of 11-month-old Simran Payza, who is being treated at the center, has not improved due to the lack of nutritious food.
There has been a shortage of powdered milk 'F 75' and 'F 100' for children suffering from severe malnutrition at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center under Lumbini Provincial Hospital in Butwal since last February. Even when there is a shortage of medicine, we have been taking care of those who are sick. We have continued the treatment by feeding home-made nutrients, but we have not been able to return it," said Pratishka Thapa, head of the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center. According to him, due to the lack of medicines considered to be effective, they have been treated at the center by feeding nutritious food such as milk, jaul, litho, and dal. It is not as effective as medicine. "It is fed in the center so that it works little and slowly," she said.
Nutrients named 'F 75' and 'F 100' contain high nutrients including vitamins, zinc, and other minerals. It is an effective alternative food for severely malnourished people. Nutrition Officer Thapa informed that 75 people have been treated and sent home nutrients since last February due to lack of it. There are currently 6 people undergoing treatment at the 10-bed nutritional rehabilitation center. Severely malnourished children are treated residentially at the center for 10 to 18 days. After that, they are referred to the 'OTC Center' at the district health post for regular medication and check-up.
Children who arrive at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center are treated for severe malnutrition only when no other diseases are identified during the doctor's examination. Malnourished children aged 6 months to 59 months are treated at the center. Children from West Nawalparasi, Palpa, Gulmi, Rupandehi, Arghakhanchi and Kapilvastu go for treatment at the rehabilitation center in Butwal. Nutritional rehabilitation center is operational since 071 in Butwal. Nutrition rehabilitation centers are running in Dang and Nepalgunj in Lumbini province.
Similarly, 10 children with severe malnutrition in Saptari have been admitted to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center under Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital Rajviraj for treatment. However, even there, the nutritional rehabilitation home has not received therapeutic milk (F-75 and F-100) for seven months. Treatment of severely malnourished children is becoming a problem due to lack of therapeutic nutrients.
Rashmi Jha, the manager of Nutrition Rehabilitation Center, said that when the children were treated by feeding dairy milk for seven months, they did not get the expected results. "There has been a shortage of therapeutic milk since January. Since then, bringing dairy milk and purifying it to make it like F-75 and F-100 does not achieve as expected," she said. "After the first phase of reform, we feed nutritious food by feeding F-100," she said, "but now there is a problem in the treatment of malnourished children due to the lack of therapeutic milk, and the budget is also insufficient to buy dairy milk."
According to him, letters have been sent to the Family Welfare Division repeatedly demanding therapeutic milk. However, the division under the health service department has not paid attention to the supply of therapeutic milk. Currently, five from Rajviraj municipality, two from Chinnamasta rural municipality, two from Hanumannagar Kankalini municipality and one each from Tilathi Koiladi and Bishnupur rural municipality have 10 severely malnourished children from birth to five years of age in the 10-bed nutritional rehabilitation home. According to Manager Jha, three of these children need to be treated with F-75 while seven need to be treated with F-100.
On the other hand, the malnourished children of Swamikartik Khapar rural municipality-1 Muktikot, which is in the worst condition of Bajura, are deprived of treatment. No Remedial Food (RUTF) for them. According to the survey data, there is no RUTF in Muktikot, which is the most malnourished in Bajura, since the beginning of March.
According to Brij Vick, in charge of Muktikot Community Health Center, two malnourished children died in the month of July. Among the deceased were 16-month-old Santosh Neupane of Khadalbada and 17-month-old Jamuna Vick of Muktikot. According to Vick, both children were receiving OTC treatment. According to Anami Mala Bam of the health center, both the children were referred after they were ill. "After both the children became ill, we referred them, but they were not able to take treatment elsewhere, so they were not taken anywhere. Then those children died,” said Anmi Bam.
According to the Vic in charge, it's been about five months since RUTF and the best flour have run out. did not come He said that some RUTF packets that were in stock at that time were stolen from the warehouse. Since there was no RUTF, malnourished children could not be treated. "We immediately informed the municipality," he said, "They informed that it was not even in the municipality." According to
week, in the preliminary survey conducted this week, 25 children across the ward were found to be malnourished. "11 people are severely malnourished and 14 are moderately malnourished," he said. "Only after the arrival of RUTF, treatment can be started by admitting malnourished children," he said.
Bhakta Kaila, the head of the rural municipality's health branch, said preparations are underway to send RUTF to Muktikot. "There is no road transport, there is a situation where porters have to be sent," Kaila said. It takes a whole day. We will send it as soon as possible. Jhanak Dhungana, the head of the provincial health supply management center in Dhangadhi, claimed that there is no shortage of RUTF in the province at this time.
