To tackle malnutrition, BMC and UNICEF to scale up treatment centres

An NRC is a health facility where children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) are admitted and treated in its hospitals.

Mumbai: As a long-term measure to tackle malnutrition in the slums, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to scale up the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in state-run hospitals by January 26, 2023. The project will be rolled out with UNICEF and will be in the civic hospitals closer to the slum areas.

On December 3, HT reported how hunger is hastening fatalities in measles hotspots. Since the outbreak in September, the city has witnessed nine confirmed and five suspected deaths – the latest on December 13, when a 5-month-old boy from Govandi succumbed to the viral infection. (AP)

An NRC is a health facility where children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) are admitted and treated in its hospitals. At present, only LTMG Sion Hospital has an NRC centre. According to a BMC official, they are in the process of adding 25 NRC beds across the city.

“Currently, we are starting with 10 beds in Shatabdi Govandi, five in Shatabdi Kandivali and ten in RN Cooper Hospital, Vile Parle. It will be done in association with UNICEF,” said Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer, BMC. UNICEF had a meeting with BMC along with deans of the civic-run tertiary care hospitals on December 12 to discuss and implement the project.

As per a BMC health officer, at present, the selected hospitals are closer to the major slum population in the city.

“The idea is to identify the malnourished child and provide them specialised care. We plan to have an NRC in each of our hospitals later but we also have a space issue,” the officer added. “BJ Wadia Hospital will be providing the technical support for the NRC.”.

On December 3, HT reported how hunger is hastening fatalities in measles hotspots. Since the outbreak in September, the city has witnessed nine confirmed and five suspected deaths – the latest on December 13, when a 5-month-old boy from Govandi succumbed to the viral infection.

Dr Subhash Salunke, former director of health services for Maharashtra who heads the state measles task force said tackling malnourishment will help prevent child death in many ways. “One of the crucial ways to curb deaths by measles is to rein in malnourishment among children from the underprivileged sections. Being malnourished and not being vaccinated can land a child into serious trouble in terms of measles. A child with no access to good nutrition has to be hospitalised if they develop complications due to grade 4 malnutrition,” he added.

The task force also has asked private practitioners and medical officers to train their focus on children slipping into malnutrition post-measles infection.