The Health Office Bardiya has found malnutrition in 3,104 children out of 20,643 children screened.
To assess the nutritional status of children aged six months to under five years, the National Nutrition Assessment Campaign is being conducted. Under this campaign, screening identified malnutrition in 3,081 children. Among them, 445 children were found to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition, according to Information Officer Padma Shrestha of the Health Office Bardiya. She stated, “In the last fiscal year 2023/24, 282 children were found to have severe malnutrition, while in fiscal year 2022/23, 295 children were identified with severe malnutrition.”
She further informed that the malnourished children identified through screening are being registered at health facilities and are receiving treatment.
“Moderately and severely malnourished children are being treated through separate methods and provided with nutritious food,” she said. “If children with severe malnutrition do not show improvement even under health facility supervision, they are referred to hospitals for further treatment.”
Pediatric specialist Dr. Bishwanath Shah of Bardiya Hospital stated that in recent times, the number of severely malnourished children coming for treatment has been increasing. He said, “In some cases, children born to malnourished mothers themselves become malnourished, leading to complications later. In other cases, children become malnourished due to a lack of access to nutritious food.”