Governor urges steps against malnutrition

Health minister Deepak Sawant, tribal welfare minister Vishnu Savara, women and child development minister Pankaja Munde meet Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan. (Photo: Asian Age)

Taking serious note of news reports on the rising incidence of malnutrition in Mokhada and other parts of Palghar district, state governor C. Vidyasagar Rao on Wednesday called for a coordinated response from various state government departments and convergence of schemes to tackle malnutrition effectively.

The governor asked ministers to form a comprehensive plan that would include long-term and short-term measures to tackle malnutrition in the state. Addressing a meeting of ministers and senior government officials at Raj Bhavan, convened specially to discuss malnutrition in Mokhada taluka, the governor said the government must reach out to every single child suffering from malnutrition.

“It’s very serious that some children from villages and districts adjacent to the financial capital of the nation are suffering from malnutrition. The state should consider and implement long-term and short-term measures to overcome malnutrition,” he said. Tribals should feel that the government is with them and the state is doing something for their welfare, he said. “Prepare an action plan to control malnutrition within three months, fill vacant posts of doctors and other medical staff in public health centres (PHCs), organise health camps and take stringent action against doctors who do not serve in tribal areas,” he instructed.

Minister for women and child welfare, Pankaja Munde, assured the governor that a comprehensive plan would be prepared to tackle malnutrition and after obtaining approval of the chief minister, the same would be submitted to the governor. Ms Munde also said that a meeting of all ministers, secretaries and collectors and chief executive officers (CEOs) of all tribal districts would be convened on September 20 and all three ministers would pay a joint visit to Mokhada to assess the situation.

Minister for public health Dr Deepak Sawant told the governor that malnutrition in Mokhada was a very complex issue involving various factors including discontinuation of the Central scheme of Village and Child Development Centres, large scale migration of tribals for employment, a large number of vacancies with respect to the post of doctors, and convergence of schemes of various departments.

He told the governor that he had asked all private hospitals to send their teams of doctors and pediatricians to Mokhada.