Unveiling the Silent Crisis: Malnutrition. How can we demolish it?
Beginning of everything starts with the basics. That's where I've opened this writeup and chose to emphasize on the basic human problem:'Malnutrition '. This can be simply defined as a state of health which is due to undernourishment of the body. And the obvious reason is lack of nutrients: lack of access to food. Food,clothing and shelter the very essential and basic needs for living. Clothing,shelter and other human problems like physical/mental health can be prioritized only after food.
Malnutrition is a issue that one cannot unsee. It is the condition of excess or serious deficiency of vital and basic nutrients."If the machine isn't build up right or at all , you cannot expect any function from it." Even the thought of its malfunctioning come next when it's built. My locality;Kolhapur district reports 11000 children malnourished according to a survey by times of India recently. Further surveys show decline in the numbers due to a state government initiative called as 'Rajmata Jijau mother-child health and nutrition mission. Poverty seems enough explanation for the cause of malnutrition primarily. Second, in my opinion I think of difficulty in access to food,to nutrition is the next main problem. Besides, this makes the case worst when we talk of abundant food wastage! Every year India generates 500 million tones of food waste(including farm waste)
• Zooming out of the main cause of malnutrition: poverty, many organizations, government policies provide a weapon to fight against the starvation. In India, POSHAN Abhiyaan launched on 8th March 2018, aims to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner by adopting a synergised and result oriented approach.
• news.un.org suggests global hunger crisis pushing a child per minute into severe malnutrition.
• UN runs a program called ' world food program'(WFP) across 80 and more countries to ensure the possible control in wastage of food and to feed the starving.
Lack of access to food is a major concern. Remote places where there is no hint of communication are victim of severe deaths due to malnutrition. In more optimism; we can deal with this problem on individual level as well:
1. Minimizing the food wastage.
2. Having awareness about your locality and places where you find malnutritioned people. And accordingly try to provide them access to the food.
The least and the best we can do on individual level.
Although many surveys, and district reports suggest a major decline in numbers of malnutrition citizens through many meal programs. Probably ,the effective way to tackle the problem. Setting up schools and care centers in rural and extreme remote areas can not only take care of the nutrition but also of employment ,education and health fitness. Schools and care centre's can be equipped with sanitation facilities,health checkups and Vaccinations. Timely surveys will add further more to improvement. The care centres can be planned with training people about health,sanitation and nutrition, educating people, providing them with work like buttoning the uniforms, stiching, applying stickers and labels to products,etc. This centres need absolute supervision to be maintained and serve their purpose. A supervisor with justified salary and dignity should be appointed to serve the purpose. Schools will provide meals with approved food grade quality and nutritional needs. This centers can also be useful in manufacturing goods and services. Manufacturing local goods and products using regional materials like honey, rubber,cashwes, wild fruits,etc. This can be the way to more flourishment.
• Zooming out of the main cause of malnutrition: poverty, many organizations, government policies provide a weapon to fight against the starvation. In India, POSHAN Abhiyaan launched on 8th March 2018, aims to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner by adopting a synergised and result oriented approach.
• news.un.org suggests global hunger crisis pushing a child per minute into severe malnutrition.
• UN runs a program called ' world food program'(WFP) across 80 and more countries to ensure the possible control in wastage of food and to feed the starving.
Lack of access to food is a major concern. Remote places where there is no hint of communication are victim of severe deaths due to malnutrition. In more optimism; we can deal with this problem on individual level as well:
1. Minimizing the food wastage.
2. Having awareness about your locality and places where you find malnutritioned people. And accordingly try to provide them access to the food.
The least and the best we can do on individual level.
Although many surveys, and district reports suggest a major decline in numbers of malnutrition citizens through many meal programs. Probably ,the effective way to tackle the problem. Setting up schools and care centers in rural and extreme remote areas can not only take care of the nutrition but also of employment ,education and health fitness. Schools and care centre's can be equipped with sanitation facilities,health checkups and Vaccinations. Timely surveys will add further more to improvement. The care centres can be planned with training people about health,sanitation and nutrition, educating people, providing them with work like buttoning the uniforms, stiching, applying stickers and labels to products,etc. This centres need absolute supervision to be maintained and serve their purpose. A supervisor with justified salary and dignity should be appointed to serve the purpose. Schools will provide meals with approved food grade quality and nutritional needs. This centers can also be useful in manufacturing goods and services. Manufacturing local goods and products using regional materials like honey, rubber,cashwes, wild fruits,etc. This can be the way to more flourishment.
Government on different levels is taking care through similar ways, yet, the number of malnutritioned people isn't zero or minimal. The number is even more significant in Eastern states in our country. The solution to this problem is only possible when the victims are approachable to us and vice-versa. How can we locate or reach upto the needy or malnutritioned people? The answer is: through manually surveying each province. But is it feasible? No. We need to come up with more smart and precise option. Then comes into action the 'BMI -van' similar to a vanity van, but with all the possible equipments to travel around remote corners and a compiled machinery to measure BMI (body mass index) of a person through a quick scan. And necessary medical checkups. With probably a small and efficient medical team in it. The service to this purpose can come under the term 'medical cops' . And the vans shall frequently wander around rural and remote areas . A helpline number to be provided to make the access to this service more easy. The compiled machinery shall estimate the need of the body and accordingly provide medication and diet in nearest care centers and schools set up for the same purpose. Whenever a van registers a man for a BMI scan, the nearest centres and support staff are required to survey frequently in alloted areas to upkeep th record possibly on individual levels for ensuring ether the man is getting benefits from the project.
A psychological counseling for the same can be done for nutrition and health training.and it is mandatory to set up maximum of such centres to reach remote corners of the provience may it be a district,state,or a country. A staff which is efficient and willing to serve the purpose shall keep the followup to ensure best results.By this van, we will be able to reach more people than manual surveys.Research institutions, health sciences institutions can be funded for the same. Technological institutes can support on the machinery requirements when funded. The project can also be profitable when the centres and schools set up run manufacturing programs on varying scale. Then, the vans and centers can be self efficient enough. But for now, we need to initiate with hardworking and maximum inputs.
This is what I could storm up for the problem. And enough implementable to get results. And not necessarily anyone either the government or a NGO or an individual have to initiate the action, when done simultaneously the efficiency multiplies and we can all implement towards the plan in similar or feasible manner. May it be on an individual, regional,community or central level by implanting towards the solution simultaneously at each of this hierarchy, the problem of malnutrition can be nearly uprooted and destroyed sooner. 'शुभस्य शीघ्रम्' । Let's fight malnutrition with more enthusiasm and optimism! Heartfulness comes only when you know you've taken a step towards the solution to the problem isn't it?
-Shrutika V. Patankar ©️
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