Poor health infrastructure bane of Panna children

BHOPAL: Panna was recently in news after Prime minister Narendra Modi talked to local Anganwadi workers on Tuesday and appreciated the digital intervention in monitoring malnourished children, but the ground reality regarding infrastructure for treatment of malnourished children in this backward district of Bundelkhand is far from satisfactory.
With one of the highest infant mortality rates in Asia, Panna doesn't have functional nutrition rehabilitation centre (NRC) required to save life of a severely acute malnourished (SAM) child. To add to the agony, the proposal to set up three NRCs in worst affected pockets of the district is hanging fire since 2013, while remaining are hardly functional.

In Panna district, 43% children are stunted and 41% are underweight, both indicators of malnourished childhood. Besides, more than 68% children under 5 years are ‘anaemic’ in the district while 73% children are still not immunised.

According to national family health survey (NFHS4), Panna and Satna districts are known for high infant mortality rates in Asia. Almost 10% children come under the category of SAM, meaning they need to be immediately admitted to the NRCs. Arvind Mishra, food and nutrition worker, said presence of well-equipped and fully functional NRCs is need of the hour. But the situation is pathetic in Panna, he said.

Setting up of NRCs at Khora, Rapura and Devendra Nagar has been pending for the last four years in Panna. A large number of tribal population live in Rapura village which is almost 60 km from Shahnagar NRC. In the district, there are 6 NRCs at Gunnor, Ajaygarh, Powai, Amanganj and Shahnagar, health department sources said, adding that the situation is pretty bad in Amanganj as far as facilities are concerned as the post of doctor-cum-NRC incharge has been vacant for the past one-and- a-half year. The post of medical officer of NRC has been vacant at Panna district for the the past many years.

However, health minister Rustam Singh refused to accept that NRCS had not been set up, despite directives in this regard. “Let me find out the truth. The NRCs are doing an excellent job in MP. There were no NRCs during the Congress regime and the BJP started them for malnourished children”, he said.