District hospitals to get 30 nutrition centres

HYDERABAD: In an attempt to reduce the mortality rate among children suffering from malnutrition and provide them better healthcare, the state government will soon establish 30 Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) in teaching and district hospitals in the state. The government on Wednesday accorded permission for setting up these NRCs in a phased manner by September 30 this year at a cost of Rs 489 crore including Rs 200 crore towards operational costs.Malnutrition levels among children continues to be a major public health concern. According to National Family Health Survey III, about 34 percent of children under three years of age in Andhra Pradesh are stunted, 13 percent are wasted, and 37 percent are underweight. It is estimated that 3.22 lakh children in the state are suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), a condition associated with high mortality and morbidity that requires specialised treatment and sustained follow-up. It was also observed that majority of children with SAM suffer silently without access to appropriate treatment.Hence, the government has decided to establish the NRCs to ensure that every child is born healthy and grows and thrives to realise his/her full potential. The objective is to ensure that children with SAM have access to inpatient treatment.One NRC with 20 beds each will be established in the paediatrics department of the teaching hospitals at Srikakulam (RIMS), Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Vijayawada, Guntur, Ongole (RIMS), Tirupati, Anantapur, Kadapa (RIMS), Kurnool, Warangal, Adilabad (RIMS) and  Gandhi Hospital (Hyderabad).A 20-bedded NRC will be established in  district hospitals at Vizianagaram, Eluru, Nellore, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Sangareddy (Medak district), Tandur (Ranga Reddy district), Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Khammam as integral part of the existing paediatrics dcepartment of these hospitals.In addition, a 10-bedded NRC will be set up in the area hospitals in the ITDA areas at Paderu (Visakhapatnam), Rampachodavaram (East Godavari), Bhadrachalam (Khammam), Utnoor (Adilabad), Srisailam (Kurnool), Parvathipuram (Vizianagaram) and Seethampet (Srikakulam). Funds will be provided from the allocations made under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).