The ongoing Dastak Abhiyan launched in Madhya Pradesh is an approachto deliver a package of essential health and nutritional services to address under-5 child mortality and morbidity in the state. The campaign that will run till 18 August 2021 has been supported by Nutrition International, a global nutrition organization focused on delivering low-cost, high-impact nutrition interventions to people in need. Nutrition International has been supporting the campaign in its planning and strategy formation, orientation, monitoring, review and development of information education and communication materials.
Dastak Abhiyaan,led by the state’s Department of Health and Women and Child Development,aims to proactively identify and promptly manage malnourished children and deliver essential health and nutrition services to under five children, with the help of frontline workers including ANMs, ASHA and Anganwadiworkers. The frontline workers knock door-to-door to identify families with children up to the age of five years and screen them for common diseases such as diarrhoea, severe anaemia, severe acute malnutrition and this time even COVID-19. Once any kind of malnutrition or disease is diagnosed,arrangements are made for their referral and treatment. Through the DASTAK Abhiyaan, the frontline workers also distribute iron and folic acid syrup for anaemia prevention,oral rehydration solution (ORS) packets and zinc tablets to manage diarrhoea and provide the dose of vitamin A to the child.