Puja Shahi of Janki Tole, Bhimdatta Municipality-18, went to Mahakali Provincial Hospital to vaccinate her 13-month-old son. The hospital health workers noticed that the child looked thin and weak, so they asked her to have his weight checked. When weighed, he was only 6.4 kilograms. At his age, his weight should have been 11 kilograms. Since his weight was not appropriate for his age, the health workers admitted him to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit of Mahakali Provincial Hospital.
The child has now been staying at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Home for the past two weeks for treatment. Puja expressed that it has been ten days since they were admitted in the hospital, and her child has gained 700 grams. She added that the way of feeding at home and here is very different. She said that at the rehabilitation home, her child is given nutritious food four times a day.
Likewise, Gita Sewa from the horticulture section of Bhimdatta Municipality is facing a similar problem. She said that when she brought her child to the hospital for vaccination, the child’s weight was checked, and since it was below the appropriate level for the age, she too was admitted to the hospital’s Nutrition Rehabilitation Home. She said that at home, she used to feed the child once or twice a day. Here, both the mother and the child are given different types of nutritious food four times a day.
Bishna Bohara of Bhimdatta Municipality-3 has also admitted her one-year-old child to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Home. In recent times, cases of malnutrition have begun to appear even among children living in urban areas. Health workers say that although the rate of malnutrition is also high among children in rural areas, many of them are unable to reach the Nutrition Rehabilitation Home. According to Mahakali Provincial Hospital, 32 children have been admitted to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Home in the current fiscal year. The hospital stated that the rehabilitation home has been providing free treatment for mothers and children under five years of age.
The Nutrition Rehabilitation Home, which was established in 2006 B.S., has a capacity of 10 beds. Indra Bhatta, the Chief of the Nutrition Rehabilitation Home, said that the recovery rate of children admitted here has increased. Looking at the data from the past three years, the number of children being admitted here has decreased. At present, more children from urban areas are being brought in. Whether the number of severely malnourished children in the community has decreased or whether they are being missed at the community level has become an issue that needs to be examined. She added that compared to previous years, the number of admissions has declined because community-level awareness programs have decreased. However, statistics from the District Health Office indicate that the district has a high number of severely malnourished children. According to the office’s data, in the fiscal year 2023/2024, severe malnutrition was recorded in 375 girls and 281 boys, while moderate malnutrition was recorded in 465 girls and 445 boys. In the fiscal year 2024/2025, among children aged six months to 59 months, severe malnutrition was found in 444 girls and 393 boys, while moderate malnutrition was identified in 82 girls and 61 boys.
Similarly, among children under six months of age, 24 cases of malnutrition had been recorded. In the fiscal year 2025/2026, severe malnutrition was identified in 363 girls and 246 boys between the ages of six and 59 months. Moderate malnutrition was recorded in 18 girls and 26 boys, while malnutrition was also found in seven girls and 24 boys under six months of age.
In the current fiscal year, severe malnutrition has so far been recorded in 95 girls and 96 boys aged six to 59 months. Moderate malnutrition has been observed in 69 girls and 36 boys. Likewise, malnutrition has been seen in nine boys under six months of age, according to Bipin Lekhak, the information officer at the Health Office. Dr. Lekhak added that the state has been working seriously to address this issue. Although the data shows that malnutrition is decreasing, reducing child mortality remains a challenge. Health workers say that in recent times, due to women being busy with employment and other work, the number of mothers who exclusively breastfeed has been declining, which has led to an increase in severe malnutrition among children. Since breast milk contains the nutrients necessary for infants, exclusive breastfeeding is required for the first six months. Breast milk also contains protective elements that help fight various infections, so problems like malnutrition tend to occur when exclusive breastfeeding is not practiced.