|
SNEHA Chalks Out Scientific Plans To Tackle Malnutrition
Mumbai-based SNEHA believes in planning models of healthcare,
which can be replicable and sustainable, reports Jayata Sharma
Dr Armida Fernandes, Founder, SNEHA |
Malnutrition, the menace that has hounded our country for
years together, has off late become more prominent. Even as the government refuses
to accept the alarming number of lives succumbing to this peril, NGOs and healthcare
activists are brainstorming towards preparing models for helping people fight
this malaise.
The Society of Nutrition, Education & Health Action (SNEHA) is one such NGO, which has been combating malnutrition, long before
it came under media glare.
Its Mission
Founded in 1999, by a group of concerned doctors and social
workers, SNEHA is committed to improving the total well being of women and children
living in urban slums. While many NGOs work to provide shelter, education, vocational
training and recreation to the city's street children, SNEHA observes that the
health needs of this overwhelmingly large section of the society are neglected.
"We are not involved in charity work. We plan models of healthcare, which
can be replicable and sustainable," avers Founder of SNEHA, Dr Armida Fernandez.
| Centre for women in crisis:
Started in 2001, the crisis centre is a temporary shelter to meet immediate
needs of distraught women.
Creche:
This facility provides a much-needed support system to mothers of Dharavi.
Children between age group of two-five are taken care of when their mothers
go out to work.
Hospital on wheels for
street children:Children consumed with basic issues of survival, as
food, clothing, shelter can hardly be expected to approach a hospital
for medicare. SNEHA brings these facilities to them.
City Initiative for Neonatal
Health (CINH): The programme aims to prevent neonatal deaths by working
both at the facility and community in urban slums in the city of Mumbai.
SNEHA Shakti: In 2004,
this centre was started in Shastri Nagar, Santacruz to provide support
services to women and children in education, self-employment and healthcare.
|
Scientific Ways To Tackle Malnutrition
SNEHA is tackling malnutrition in Asia's largest slum - Dharavi.
"We cover six wards in Mumbai, but for malnutrition we are targeting Dharavi
only," says Dr Fernandez, who is also the former Dean of LTMG Hospital,
Mumbai. Malnutrition cannot be tackled by just feeding hungry souls. Calls to
SNEHA to distribute food to the malnourished are turned down. "We need
to understand the requirement of the malnourished person, " explains Dr
Fernandez.
The requirement is understood in four steps:
Feeding patterns: First three years of any child are
the most vulnerable ones as this is the time when various infections can assail
the child. SNEHA conducts small projects to assess various causes of malnutrition.
The projects involve survey of infant feeding practices in various communities
of the slum. It is an established fact that infants need to be breast-fed for
at least initial six months. Many mothers do not do this. The pattern of feeding
highlights a lot of facts. The organisation plans for ways through which it
can improve and impact the process. "There are many flaws in the way mothers
feed their children. But, we cannot force mothers to change their ways. So we
try to make them understand the benefits of right way to feed," says Dr
Fernandez.
Right food: Another aspect is the kind of food people
intake. Many a times, even if the family is well off, they are not educated
enough to the nutritious content of food. "We tell them what kind of food
is right for the mother and the baby," says Fernandez.
Diseases: At times, the child is suffering from some
disease like diorreaha. In such a scenario, even if he intakes nutritional food,
he will eventually lose the important ingredients. SNEHA explains people how
proper hygiene is vital for right living conditions.
Taking the above conditions in mind, it is decided whether the child is starved
or undernourished. The family history is also taken into account in aspects like
income, education, disease patterns etc.
Categorising The Patients
The malnourished children are then categorised in grades set by the Indian Academy
of Pediatrics. Most cases fall under Grade 1 or 2 (IAP). Children under Grade
4 usually need hospitalisation.
All over India, the malnutrition incidence is more than 50 per cent. In a very small study conducted in Dharavi, it varies
from 22-77 per cent. Interestingly, there are no Grade 4 cases in Dharavi and
under-nutrition is much more significant in girls.
"We function scientifically,and plan out interventions
for the problem of malnutrition. Sometimes people do get angry to answer our
barrage of questions, but we can’t solve these obstacles without studying
them," says Dr Fernandez, and adds, "To solve any problem it is necessary
that a plan be sorted out to work together. Nothing can be achieved by blaming
each other. A complex and comprehensive formula should be made. Also, if one
truly wants to bring about a change in the health and wellness of a child, one
has to start from the beginning, with the child in the womb, with the mother
herself." And this is what SNEHA is striving for.
| Partnerships And Funding
SNEHA partners with Municipal
Corporation of Greater Mumbai—Public Health Department, LTMG Hospital
(popularly known as Sion Hospital), International Parental Unit –
University College, London and with NGOs like Tri Ratna Prerna Mandal,
Point Of View, Childline, Kishori, Family Welfare Agency, Society for
Healing, Aid, Rehabilitation & Education (SHARE). SNEHA receives funds
from trusts, corporate bodies, individuals
and through the projects it undertakes.
Support Staff
At present, SNEHA is a family
of over 40 staff , a well-structured and organised team of volunteers.
SNEHA has volunteers from different arenas, various strata and age group
of the society. Volunteers also include students from SNDT College, Xavier
College, Nirmala Niketan College, teachers, lawyers and a long list of
family members and friends of Dr Fernandez and her supporters in the cause.
About IAP Grades
There are specific standards
and grades in which all infants are categorised. Grades are generally
decided on the weight at the time of birth of the child.
Grade 1: Children
who cater upto 70-80 per cent of the standard weight.
Grade 2: Those who cater to 60-70 per cent of the standards.
Grade 3: Upto 50-60 per cent.
Grade 4: Below 50 per cent of the standardised weight.
|
jayata@expresshealthcaremgmt.com
|
