Ujjwal (name changed), 2, is sharing a bed at the Guru Gobind Singh Government Hospital (GGSGH) with a woman and her 3-year-old son Abhishek. He has a bulging belly and 'baggy' buttocks but rest of his body seems wasted. When he first came to the hospital 10 days ago, he weighed less than 6 kg. Both Ujjwal and Abhishek, almost reduced to skeletons, suffer from Severe Acute Malnourishment (SAM). The chances of death for children suffering from SAM are nine times higher.
With the rise in temperature in the Capital, the graph of seasonal illnesses also shows an upward trend, especially with regard to children. Every year, the number of SAM cases also increase during summers in the city, which has only five active Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres (NRC). In some of them, the young patients are forced to share beds.
On paper, there are 11 NRCs in the city but just five of them are functional — Guru Gobind Singh Government Hospital GGSGH, Hindu Rao Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Kalawati Saran Hospital, and Kasturba Gandhi Hospital. As per the guidelines, NRCs should have clean beds, a playing area, a kitchen, a food area, and a nursing station. The mothers are supposed to be educated about childcare, as poor feeding practices is one of the main reasons behind SAM. None of these facilities could, however, be seen at the GGSGH.
"We are managing the best we can with the available resources," Dr Krishna Bhattacharya, Nutritionist at GGSGH, said. "On days when there are more patients, we either have to double them up on a bed or get some space in the post-natal care room," she added.
Meanwhile, in a four-bed room, six patients along with their mothers are packed with just one table to put all their stuff on, and bed-sides to hang clothes. In India, over 55 per cent of kids under the age of five are undernourished.
As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), in 2015-2016, over 32 per cent kids under the age of five were stunted (height for age) and over 17 per cent were wasted (weight to height ratio) in the country.
"As popularly believed, poverty is not the only reason for SAM. Ignorance is also a reason. We see under-nourished children from well-off families, who can afford all kinds of diets but still do not know what is best for their children," Dr Sangeeta, CMO, GGSGH said.
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