Integrated Approach Needed to Deal with Malnutrition in CG

Integrated Approach Needed to Deal with Malnutrition in CG
• Sensitization Programme on Integrated Management of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition Concluded in AIIMS
• Five Medical Colleges and 89 NRC identified for Creating a Network across state
• AIIMS will take up the Lead Role, Will Provide Technical Support to all Stakeholders

Raipur, 26 December, 2019
All India Institute of Medical Sciences is gearing up to equip all stakeholders in Chhattisgarh to improve status of malnutrition in the state. Five medical colleges and 89 Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRC) across the state have been identified to take up the challenge. AIIMS along with UNICEF and other government organizations is providing expert guidance to them. To sensitize state level facilitators, two day programme on Integrated Management of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (25-26th Dec) has been organized and necessary training was imparted to the participants.
According to the data available, Chhattisgarh is suffering from malnutrition with almost 8.4% children under 5 years are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. To cope up with the challenge, AIIMS, State Health Department, Women and Child Development and five medical colleges have integrated their approach towards dealing with the challenge.
Sensitization programme witnessed technical sessions on Nutrition Status in India and CG, Identification of children with SAM, Principles of Care and treatment of such children, facility management, Mechanism and Strategy of community based management of children with SAM and necessary protocol and to share learning experience with each other.
Field visits to four different NRCs –Raipur, Tilda, Mahasamund and Rajnanadgaon were also organized. Dr. A.K. Goel, HoD, Pediatrics and organizing secretary said that such programmes will definitely improve malnutrition status in the state. Nutrition Specialist Dr. Farhat Saiyed and Nutrition Officer Dr. Mahendra Prajapati from UNICEF provided insightful information and training to the participants.
Prof. (Dr.) Nitin M. Nagarkar, Director, AIIMS said that the Institute is willing to take front seat in dealing with malnutrition in CG and neighboring states. ‘Resource integration and coordinated efforts by all stakeholders can be boon for the programme. AIIMS expertise in dealing with malnutrition can be utilized for this novel initiatives’ he added.
The Facilitator’s Training was attended by the experts and stakeholders from all sections of the state. Training was supervised by technical expert Prof. Praveen Kumar and Dr. Ashok Rawat from National Centre of Excellence for SAM management, Kalawati Saran Hospital, New Delhi. More than two dozen participants from different departments and medical colleges have been trained during the programme.