ગુજરાતી
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1.42 lakh children are malnourished in Gujarat
Talking about malnutrition in the entire state in 2022, 1.42 lakh children were malnourished in Gujarat. In which the maximum number of 14 thousand was in Dahod. At present, 1,42,142 children were victims of malnutrition in Gujarat. In which the number of extremely underweight children was 24,101. While the number of underweight children was 1,18,041. Dahod district had the highest number of malnourished children in the state with 14,191.
There was a worrying situation in the health of children and women in Gujarat under the BJP government which ruled for more than 20 years.
Gujarat has an average of 15 premature births per 100 live births. A baby born before the delivery date given by the doctor is called a premature baby. A premature baby may also have low birth weight and limited growth and may have more health problems. Children who develop multiple health problems require more care and treatment. The birth rate of children born before such time was 10 to 15 percent.
A normal baby is born between 37 and 40 weeks after completing nine months in the mother’s womb. If a baby is born before 37 weeks, it is called a preterm or premature baby. Many babies are born prematurely, but mature babies are usually healthy, surviving with normal routine care.
In June 2023, the condition of the child and women’s health sector in the state was worrisome. In just 91 days, 156 mothers and 2557 newborns died. 27,138 babies were born with low birth weight. In three months, 20,328 malnourished children were born.
In just 91 days, 156 mothers and 2557 newborns died. Government used to spend crores of rupees on public health services nominally and on advertisement. According to the health department data in Gujarat, from April 1 to June 30, 2132 cases of severe anemia were reported.
While 27,138 children were born with low birth weight. In three months, 120328 malnourished children were born. There were 25,121 severely malnourished children in the state who were “extremely underweight-extremely underweight”. According to the health management application data, the maximum number of maternal deaths occurred in the last 91 days in Ahmedabad Corporation at 15, Kutch at 11, Banaskantha and Dahod at 10, Rajkot Corporation at 9, Vadodara at 7, Bharuch at 3 and Narmada at 1.
Maximum 215 newborns died in Dahod district. After which 199 cases were reported in Ahmedabad Corporation, 1166 in Banaskantha, Kutch 165, Mehsana 152, Anand 113, Sabarkantha 105, Vadodara 73, Vadodara Corporation 30, Surat 56, Corporation 58, Bharuch 69, Ahmedabad 65. On an average 12 lakh children were born in Gujarat and 30 thousand children died.
Even today 30 thousand children die every year, this was a reality. The government was saying that 7,15,515 children are malnourished in the last five years, if there was a proper survey of malnourished children and women, this figure would have been many times more. The condition of malnutrition in tribal areas was appalling.
In just one year, the number of malnourished children in Dahod was 15,191, while in Narmada this figure was 12,673. These two districts also had the highest number of very low birth weight children.
To save malnourished children in Gujarat in 2022, the state government will give Rs 49000 for the treatment of children weighing less than 1.5 kg, Rs 7000 per day for 7 days. Along with this, the cost of accommodation and food of the mother along with the child will also be borne by the state government.
Malnutrition in newborns:
Banaskantha district had the maximum number of children in the state at 1535, while Narmada district had the least number of children at 80. In districts where the situation is serious, 1445 children were born with SAM-severe malnutrition in Ahmedabad Corporation, 1376 in Rajkot Corporation, 1153 in Vadodara Corporation and 1070 in Junagadh Corporation in the last one month.
Metropolitan Concerns:
The government had talked about providing adequate nutrition to children by running programs like mid-day meals and the state’s malnutrition figures were extremely worrying. The situation of malnutrition is more worrisome in metros than in villages, 1,925 children in Ahmedabad, 5318 in Surat, 3021 in Rajkot, 6154 in Vadodara are malnourished.
low birth weight
As many as 5881 low birth weight babies were born in the entire state in a month. Among these children, 328 children in Mehsana, 303 children in Bharuch and 299 children in Anand had low birth weight.
1.42 lakh children malnourished in Gujarat:
Talking about malnutrition in the entire state in 2022, 1.42 lakh children were malnourished in Gujarat, out of which the maximum number of 14 thousand was in Dahod. Currently, 1,42,142 children are malnourished in Gujarat, of whom 24,101 are severely underweight while 1,18,041 are underweight. Dahod district had the highest number of malnourished children in the state with 14,191.
Government Efforts:
To reduce the burden of malnutrition, the Kuposhan Mukt Gujarat Maha Abhiyan was launched on a mission mode in the entire Gujarat state. This benefit was given to children from newborn to 6 years and all severely malnourished children. This scheme will benefit Anganwadi Center at village level, Primary Health Center or Group Health Center at Taluka level and District Hospital and Medical College Hospital at District level and
The benefit of this scheme can be availed in the health metropolitan centers in urban areas also.
Infant mortality rate per thousand children in the district was 34.1 in 2015-16, 31.6 in 2016-17 and 2017-
18 had 27.9. To bring down the infant mortality rate, the Balsakha-3 scheme was implemented. In which it was decided to get the new born babies treated at government expense in private paediatrician’s hospitals. Low birth weight babies are admitted to the NICU of a pediatrician in a private hospital and the pediatrician charges Rs. 49 thousand will be paid. Financial provision was made in the budget.
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In 2022, 39 percent of children under the age of five will be described as stunted. The all-India average figure was 35.5 per cent – the highest ever – but Gujarat fared even worse at 39 per cent. More than 25 percent of children in Gujarat were stunted. Again this figure was much higher than the all India average of 19.3 per cent. Nearly 40 per cent of children in Gujarat were underweight for their age – while the Indian average is higher at 32 per cent. This included some of the poorest states with the worst standards compared to India’s average, but the truth was that Gujarat, which called itself a double engine government, was seriously failing to provide adequate nutrition to its children.
It was also found that only 6 per cent of infants in the age group of 6 to 23 months were getting adequate nutrition, while the all-India figure was over 11 per cent. Adequate diets for these young children were defined as breastfed children receiving 4 or more food groups and minimal meals, defined as non-breastfed children receiving at least 3 Infant and infant groups (fed by other milk or milk producers) were receiving what was given. At least twice a day as a minimum, thus breastfed infants at 6–8 months of age were given solid or semi-solid food at least twice a day and 9–23 months of age Babies were breastfed at least three times a day. When semi-solid foods were served, at least four food groups, called semi-solid foods, did not include foods containing milk or milk products.
As it can be easily understood from the above figures that a large number of children in India are victims of malnutrition. Some states were doing very well while the condition of some was bad. The surprising thing was that our Gujarat was among the worst states in this matter. PM Modi wanted Gujaratis to be proud of their state and often alleged that politically motivated critics were trying to defame Gujarat. But these figures made it clear that Gujarati children were severely malnourished due to the model policies adopted by the ruling party in the state.
Anemia means lack of blood in women and children.
Another parameter worthy of study was anemia. Iron deficiency in the blood causes both mental and physical deformities in children. NFHS-5 data showed that 80 per cent of children under the age of five were anemic. This was worse than the Indian average – which had startling figures for children in Gujarat – of about 67 per cent. The survey found that children inherited the deficiency from their mothers – about 63 per cent of pregnant women were anemic, compared to the national average of about 52 per cent. In fact, 65 percent of all women in the reproductive age group (15-49 years) in Gujarat were anaemic, much higher than the Indian average of 57 percent.
In 2021, 9 lakh children of the country up to six years are victims of severe malnutrition: Government
New Delhi: More than 9 lakh children in the age group of six months to six years are severely malnourished in the country. Out of them 44 percent i.e. 3,98,359 children are from the state of Uttar Pradesh alone. On behalf of the Central Government, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said this in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. He further said that from 2017-18 to 2020-21, 40 per cent (Rs 5,312 crore) of the total funds allocated for nutrition was allocated to states and union territories.
Despite the nutrition campaign launched in March 2018 to remove malnutrition in children between six months and six years, only 56 percent (2,985.56 crore) could be spent till March 31, 2021. Adequate nutrition is provided to severely malnourished children in the age group of six months to six years under the Nutrition Campaign of Integrated Child Development Resources.
The campaign aims to reduce the number of low birth weight, stunted and malnourished children by 2 per cent per year and reduce malnutrition among children above six years of age and women by 3 per cent per year in the country by 2022. With the increase in unemployment in the world due to the Corona epidemic, the number of people who die of hunger without income will also increase. The US Department of Agriculture announced after the study that hunger in the world will increase by 33 percent this year. An examination of food security in 76 middle- and low-income countries found that 291 million people in these countries would be affected by hunger.
children pollution
Due to the increasing amount of pollution, many types of diseases are spreading. Pollution is becoming a hindrance in the physical and mental development of children.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, pollution is having a bad effect on children. According to this report, more than one lakh (1,01,788.2) lives were lost due to pollution in the year 2016.
The children died.
1.6 million people die every year due to pollution in China
The report titled ‘Air pollution and child health: Prescribing clean air’ warned about rising diseases due to pollution.
According to the report, Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 in the outdoor air is responsible for the maximum number of deaths of children under the age of five in India.
Particulate matter is fine particles of dust and soil that enter the body through breathing.
60,987 children have died in India, 47,674 in Nigeria, 21,136 in Pakistan and 12,890 in Congo due to pollution.
unicef
Gujarat has seen a significant reduction in poverty and although it ranks third in economic development, growth has been uneven. Poverty levels in tribal, maritime, desert and hilly areas are still higher than the state average.
Improvement in neonatal mortality and maternal mortality has been very slow. Malnutrition, poor coverage of full immunization, declining sex ratio and child marriage are challenging the improvement of human development outcomes for every child in Gujarat.
The under-five mortality rate in Gujarat has come down significantly but the neonatal mortality rate is still very high. It accounts for 63 percent of deaths of children under the age of five. More girls die than boys.
Access to specialized neonatal care units is improving but the quality of maternal and neonatal care remains a major concern. Full immunization coverage is still very low in communities living in remote areas, especially in tribal, coastal and barren areas as well as urban slums. Migration. Full immunization coverage among children is very low.
Although there has been a decline in stunting levels among children under the age of five in Gujarat, about 39 percent of children are still chronically malnourished or stunted. The increase in severe malnutrition among children during the period 2006 to 2016 poses a threat to the survival of children. Only 50 percent of babies get breast milk within the first hour of birth.
Gujarat achieved 100 per cent public defecation free (ODF-) status during 2018-19, but maintaining this status among different communities is challenging. For example, about 83.2 percent of schools have usable toilets but their maintenance remains a challenge. Although the state has made good progress in providing water to hinterland communities, microbial and chemical contamination of water sources, especially in rural areas, is a major challenge.
Gujarat has made impressive progress in education and especially in access to education, infrastructure and school enrollment rates. Programs such as Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and Eklavya Tribal School have ensured access to education for underprivileged children, especially girls. The quality of primary education is still a challenge.
School dropout is a problem in tribal, coastal, barren and hilly areas, while child marriage in some communities exacerbates the problem of school dropout among children, especially girls. Ensuring quality early education for every child is challenging due to inadequate qualifications of Integrated Child Development Services workers and private kindergarten teachers, inadequate monitoring systems and non-availability of data.
Child marriage is still widespread in Gujarat, with girls from the poorest households four times more likely to marry than girls from the richest households. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), about 24.9 percent of women between the ages of 20-24 are married before the legal age of 18.
Other problems children face include child labor, violence against children, and lack of access to services for children in urban slum areas.
Advancing Child Rights and Wellbeing
UNICEF is working closely with the Gujarat state government and other stakeholders to ensure the rights and well-being of children.
Our program strategy for the years 2018-2022 is in line with Gujarat’s SDG Vision 2030, of which UNICEF is an important partner and contributor. Gujarat is one of the few states that has taken concrete steps towards incorporating human development issues into the planning process. In Gujarat, UNICEF is working closely with the private sector, the government and the UN agency GAVI, medical colleges and civil society organisations.
UNICEF prioritizes interventions to address gender and other disparities in child survival. We help improve the quality of skilled maternity nurses, quality care and treatment of complications related to high-risk pregnancies, access to specialized care units for newborns, and improve outcomes.
We work closely with various ministries to support flagship programs and development guidelines and strategic plans for the implementation of key nutrition interventions and programmes.
We work with passion. UNICEF works towards effective implementation of the Mother’s Absolute Affection (MAA) program to improve breastfeeding practices. UNICEF has supported regulation of the One Whole Meal Plan, an intervention to improve nutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers.
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NICEF supports the implementation and community-based management of facilities for children with severe malnutrition. We are also supporting improvements in the coverage and quality of Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) for adolescent girls and women.
We have focused technical support for institutional strengthening of Anganwadi Training Centers including development of early childhood curriculum.
UNICEF also prioritizes the creation of an integrated social protection system that includes both parents and children to reduce economic and social barriers to access to education. Evidence-based advocacy for increasing access to secondary education. We support state and district level mapping of school dropouts and absenteeism through youth engagement and community-based organizations. We develop flexible, inclusive education models to reach out-of-school children and retain children at risk of dropping out. Collaborate with various state departments to implement
We work to strengthen systems to keep children safe by developing a qualified child protection workforce. Advocacy with judiciary, civil society and State Commission for Protection of Child Rights focused on strict implementation of important provisions of law relating to protection of children from exploitation, violence and atrocities.
UNICEF supports linkages with social protection schemes for unaccompanied and abandoned children, including state-run foster parents (foster care). Our advocacy focuses on the adoption of quality standards for care and adherence in residential care settings.
Inclusive social policy is a new outcome identified in the Country Program 2018-22. We aim to strengthen integrated social policy and protection systems that respond effectively to the needs and vulnerabilities of the child.
Intervention Program on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) at Pratapnagar, Nandod Block, Narmada District, Gujarat Seth Shri S. R. Organized at Agarwal Vidyalaya.
UNICEF/UN0269632/Hajra
Intervention Program on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) at Pratapnagar, Nandod Block, Narmada District, Gujarat Seth Shri S. R. Organized at Agarwal Vidyalaya.
Cross-cutting interventions are built around two life cycle stages (early child development (0-6 years) and adolescent empowerment (10-19 years)) to address children’s and women’s rights across all of UNICEF’s program areas.
Under the National Child Protection Programme, UNICEF focuses on ensuring the survival of premature and low birth weight infants discharged from specialized neonatal care units. Assistance is provided in identifying delays and providing care. UNICEF aims to raise awareness among parents and caregivers about the importance of promoting early childhood education.
Gujarat is vulnerable to disasters like earthquakes, floods, cyclones, epidemics like swine flu and drought. UNICEF supports states in developing mapping and institutionalizing child-centred disaster risk assessment to identify child-centred risks during such disasters. A core area of our work is disaster risk reduction, which enables health systems to advance, including emergency preparedness for public health emergencies and pandemics. We help communities become more resilient (especially during stressful times) by increasing their awareness, knowledge and skills on issues such as safe water, sanitation and health practices.(google translation from Gujarati from this web)
