Malnutrition among pregnant women a concern: Report

Deepthi Sanjiv | TNN | Updated: May 1, 2020, 10:43 IST

The report indicates that ration for pregnant and lactating women was being provided only in 75% of the areas that were surveyed, while even in those regions where necessary nutritional food items were being supplied, the quantity fell short of the stipulated amount.

The report indicates that ration for pregnant and lactating women was being provided only in 75% of the areas ...Read More

MANGALURU: A report compiled by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (Karnataka) has highlighted many deficiencies in the state government’s implementation of food security and old-age pension schemes. In their recommendations, the members of the forum have enjoined on the government to address the problem of food security immediately lest malnutrition increase in the state. The report was compiled with inputs from 80 villages and towns across Karnataka.
The report indicates that ration for pregnant and lactating women was being provided only in 75% of the areas that were surveyed, while even in those regions where necessary nutritional food items were being supplied, the quantity fell short of the stipulated amount.
National secretary of All India Central Council of Trade Unions Clifton D’Rozario said that, in many districts, migrant women who were pregnant were not enrolled in anganwadis, and consequently not receiving the rations they were entitled to. “The state government needs to be more proactive in attending to the needs of pregnant women and lactating mothers, who need to be supplied nutritional food,” D’Rozario told TOI.
Taking note of the plight of undernourished pregnant women and lactating mothers in Dakshina Kannada, Ananth Prabhu G, professor at Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, has launched a campaign to provide maternity nutrition kits. “We started distributing food packets and kits right from the second day of the lockdown. So far, we have given away more than 500 food kits and in the course of the campaign, interacted with more than 4,000 people,” Prabhu told TOI.
Each maternity nutrition kit, comprising dry fruits, ghee, jaggery and biscuits among other things, costs Rs 1,200, Prabhu said.
Gurupur is not alone in reaching out to those in need of sufficient nourishment. In Bengaluru, Jagadish R Chandra sought suggestions from a gynaecologist on the proper diet for pregnant women and lactating mothers. He has been supplying food kits to pregnant women from underprivileged sections in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar, a locality in Bengaluru.
Online portal sees spike in gynaecology-related queries
Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in India, Practo Health Insights, a telemedicine platform, has registered a surge of 250% in the number of queries it receives from pregnant women. Questions posed to gynaecologists pertain to a wide range of concerns from complications during birth, birth control techniques, miscarriage and problems that might arise owing to the prevalence of the novel coronavirus.