BERHAMPUR: Even as the Ganjam administration claims of providing nutritional supplements to children in Patrapur, over 30 children of hill villages under the block are malnourished or suffer from malnutrition-related diseases. One of the largest blocks in the district, Patrapur has 370 villages under 23 panchayats and a majority of them including villages under Tumbaguda, Ankuli, Buratal, Khariaguda and Turubudi panchayats are located on hilltop.
Neither Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana nor Biju Sadak Yojana has reached the villages and due to lack of motorable roads, health officials do not visit the tribal villages regularly. As a result, residents fail to avail medical help on time and are forced to depend on quacks or traditional medicines.
While people in the villages suffer from either water or vector-borne diseases almost every month, malnutrition is recurring problem in the block, said activists. Although the health administration initiates health check-ups in the villages after outbreak of a disease, the initiative does not serve any purpose in the absence of follow-up action by health officials.
Last year, the Health Department organised health camps across the block and found 36 children suffering from malnutrition. They belonged to Dhobalingi, Badaansupa, Dhepasahi, Puriasahi, Badarampa, Raikhalo, Kuruguda, Andaanda, Banapur, Gouduni, Laida and Buratala villages. Elderly persons, pregnant and lactating women were also checked and found suffering from anaemia, malaria and water-borne related ailments.
The Ganjam administration admitted five children of Dhobalingi village suffering from acute malnourishment to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in Berhampur and the remaining children were provided nutrition kits on a daily basis through anganwadi centres. However, after a few months of distribution of nutrition supplements, anganwadi workers stopped providing them to the children and today, their health condition is back to square one. Even the children undergoing treatment at the NRC are yet to recover completely.
Sources said poor literacy rate of villagers and lack of awareness among parents about nutritional requirements of their children is contributing to malnourishment. “Anganwadi centres are also negligent towards providing nutritional food to children in the villages. There are at least 38 malnourished children in the block now. Villages of Tumbaguda, Buratala and Ankuli panchayats fall prey to various water-borne and vector-borne diseases every year”, said social worker Khirasindhu Mohanty, who recently visited some of the affected villages along with a health team.
As per Government norms, malnourished children in the age group of six months to three years should be provided with a kit containing one packet of Chhatua, maize floor, cooking oil and ragi ladoo everyday. Similarly, malnourished children in the age group of three to six years should be provided with cooked food in breakfast, a packet of Chhatua and one egg per day. Although anganwadi centres and Child Development Programme Officer (CDPO) claim of providing the kits and cooked food to all children, there is no improvement in their health condition.
While 13 anganwadi centres are functioning under Ankuli panchayat, another 12 are operational in Tumba panchayat and eight in Buratala panchayat. Locals, however, alleged that these centres are functioning in a haphazard manner as anganwadi supervisors do not inspect them at regular intervals. Also, acutely malnourished children should be admitted to NRC but this year, no such step has been taken so far.