Gujarat: Steady rise in crib deaths due to malnutrition
AHMEDABAD: Over the last three years, 41,632 children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in Gujarat have been admitted to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in Gujarat, according to data provided in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Meanwhile, the death rate of newborn babies in Gujarat is increasing as maternal health and malnutrition continue to deteriorate. According to statistics provided by the Government of India in the Lok Sabha, thousands of children under the age of five are suffering from SAM in Gujarat .
The state ranks second in the country for the number of children admitted to NRC with the number of severely malnourished children more than doubling in the last three years—a major cause for concern. In response to a question from MPs Dhanush M Kuamr and Selvam G in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the Ministry of Health of India stated that the number of children under the age of five suffering from SAM with medical complications admitted in NRC across 29 States/are 1.04 lakh in 2020-21, 1.32 lakh in 2021-22, 1.89 lakh in 2022-23, and 0.56 lakh up to June 2023.
According to figures presented in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Health of the Government of India, the number of cases of SAM are 9,606 in 2020-21, 13,048 in 2021-22, and 18,978 in 2022-23. Up to June 2023, 5,694 children have been admitted to NRC. It is apparent that the malnutrition crisis in Gujarat is not only worsening but has also doubled.
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker alleged, “In Gujarat, an average of 12 lakh children is born every year, of which 30 thousand children die every year even today. This is a reality. In the last five years, according to the government’s statistics, 7,15,515 children are malnourished.”
“In Gujarat, thousands of children below the age of five years have to be admitted to Nutrition rehabilitation centers instead of being brought up in their mother’s laps and provided with natural nutrition,” he added.
According to data from NFHS 5 (National Family Health Survey), Gujarat ranked fourth in terms of stunted children, with 39 percent of children in the state being underweight for their age. Gujarat ranked second in terms of wasted and underweight children, at 25.1 percent and 39.7 percent, respectively. This reflects the state’s poor performance in terms of health metrics.