The Anganwadi centres are lax on malnourished children in the district. Sources said these kendras are unable to spot the malnourished children and they are not even sending them to the Malnutrition Treatment Centres (MTCs).
Sources said drought-hit Palamu has two MTCs — one in Chainpur and another in Hussainabad blocks. Each MTC has ten beds. On an average in one month 40 malnourished children can get treatment at each centre as each child can get treatment for a period of 15 days.
Beds are going empty said medical officer of the Hussainabad MTC AK Singh. According to this medical officer, beds are empty in Hussainabad’s MTC. The occupancy rate has scaled down from 95 per cent to 58 per cent. Out of 10 beds six or seven beds continue to be unoccupied thereby meaning no malnourished child on these beds he asserted. This medical officer added he has written to the child development project officers to be pro-active on this issue.
Doctor Singh agreed that Anganwadi kendras are not taking interest in spotting the malnourished child. Malnutrition can be spotted by even a lay man he said. The treatment for malnutrition lasts for 15 days with Rs100 a day on food for the malnourished child and Rs200 a day for the mother or any lady that lives with the malnourished child in the MTC.
Further there is no guarantee that a cured malnourished child will not elapse into fresh bout of malnutrition warned the medical officer. The cured /treated child may slip into the episode of malnutrition but his/her admittance in MTC is valid for two times only as for third onset of malnutrition the government disallows treatment to the child in the MTC.
The doctor opined that this facility of treatment for two times is to enable other malnourished child to get facility of treatment in the MTC as cured/treated child coming for fresh episode of malnutrition will put a seal on those children who have not got their even first treatment in the MTC.