Thursday, Apr 25, 2024 | Last Update : 08:31 PM IST
State government will issue GR to eliminate malnourishment
The proposed measures include provision of food and medicines to infants.
Mumbai: The state government will issue a Government Resolution (GR) in the coming weeks to take concrete measures to eradicate malnourishment. The GR will include measures related to creating awareness, reaching infants suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and moderately acute malnutrition (MAM).
The proposed measures include provision of food and medicines to infants, monitoring their health through data monitoring and creating awareness about the health and hygiene, especially of expecting mothers.
The state government has already implemented various schemes such as Take Home Ration (THR) program, public distribution system (PDS), Status of supplementary nutrition scheme (SN) and ready-to-use therapeutic food products to severely malnourished children, but still the malnourished issue remains unsolved.
Vinita Ved Singhal (IAS), Principal Secretary, Health and Nutrition Mission Maharashtra Talking to The Asian Age said, “ To tackle this subject we are working in all the possible ways. We will issue a GR in a few days and our first point is to create awareness in villages and tribal belts affected with malnourished issues.”
“The state government is trying out the special measures to tackle infant mortality and child deaths due to malnutrition by monitoring the health of expecting mothers and conducting their regular check-ups which will be included in the data base and giving them peanut base food product,” said Mrs Ved.
She also said the government will be following the module of Rajasthan to tackle this issue. The Rajasthan government have taken steps like the programme conducted between December 2015 and June last year, 9640 severe acute malnourished (SAM) children were treated, of whom 9117 fully recovered.
There are provisions made in latest GR, to supply protein base food with folic acid tablets to expected mothers till the time the child grows and is free from malnourished issues. Supply of food grains will be ensured at the doorstep of every tribal home and regular medical check-ups would be done with the help of Anganwadi and the health workers of women and child development department.
