Malnutrition snuffs out lives of children, women in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Malnutrition in Odisha continues to be a major monster despite the claim by the state government that it is well under control. The government had claimed last year on the floor of the Assembly that not a single child died from malnutrition in between 2016 and 2017.

However, sources said Odisha recorded six child malnutrition-driven deaths in 2017.

This fact has come in the recently released report titled “Medically Certified Cause of Death (MCCD)” by the Registrar General of India (RGI).

As per the RGI’s MCCD report, six children in Odisha died from malnutrition-related diseases like kwashiorkor, nutritional marasmus and other similar disease conditions.

Kwashiorkor is a type of malnutrition that occurs when there is not enough protein in the diet. It affects children in places plagued by a limited food supply or famines.

Nutritional marasmus is typically observed in infants who are on breastfeeding and when the amount of milk is markedly reduced, which in turn reflects the prevalence of maternal malnutrition.

The real scenario in the state, however, could be more grave as the Odisha government in the state Assembly had admitted to the fact that as many as 26,184 children suffered from malnutrition and fell in the severely underweight category in 2018.

Significantly, the RGI has also expressed dissatisfaction as cause of mere 11.7 per cent deaths annually were being certified in the state, Odisha figured among the bottom states nationally.

“More medical certifications could only bring the real enormity of any disease to the fore,” the report observed.

When the State Women and Child Development (SWCD) department data shows children suffering from malnutrition is highest in Kalahandi (3,114), followed by Kandhamal (2,887) in 2018, district headquarters hospital sources in Kandhamal and Kalahandi informed that nearly 3,500 children had died there of malnutrition during the last half decade.

Even, the India Health of Nation and States – 2017 (IHNS-17) report had rated malnutrition, especially child and maternal, as the number one risk factor in driving most of the deaths and disabilities in the state.

In fact, the report further stated Odisha recorded a whopping 69 per cent of deaths prematurely among all the age groups.

As per the IHNS-17 report, in 1990s, when malnutrition contributed a high of over 35 per cent of the DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Years) lost in Odisha, the DALYs lost owing to malnutrition dropped to 12.7 per cent in 2016-17, but still the highest contributor to DALYs lost in the state.

As per the report, malnutrition affects women more than men as women lose nearly 14 per cent of their life-years or live with disability against 12 per cent for men. And under-5 year children lost nearly 1.8 per cent of life-years owing to nutritional disorders.

“Malnutrition is really a key culprit that is not only resulting in death of children, but also stunting the growth of both men and women, especially those who do not have access to good food.  The government needs to identify the rural and urban pockets where the incidence of malnutrition is high and special interventions should be made to check the devil. Good health will not only lead to better productivity, but contribute to the state gross domestic product as well,” said Dr Gourang Charan Rout.