Tackling malnutrition: SMS referral system to keep track of malnourished kids

Five-day regional training workshop concludes.

ISLAMABAD:

A Short Message Service (SMS) referral system will be introduced to help treat children with severe malnutrition and the Nutrition Surveillance System will be enhanced for identification and treatment of malnourishment.

This was announced at the concluding session of a five-day “Regional and Training Workshop on Improving the Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition and Nutrition Surveillance” at a local hotel on Monday.

Organised by the Planning and Development Division in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), 48 nutritionists from eastern Mediterranean region came together to chalk out ways to treat millions of children at the critical stage of malnutrition.

Dr Khizar Tauseef, WHO focal person on nutrition, said lady health workers will play a key role in the SMS referral system. They will identify malnourished children in their community and send their details through an SMS to the referral system.

The system will automatically refer the child to the nearest healthcare centre through an SMS and this message will be sent to all the concerned stakeholders, health experts and the children’s parents. When the child is taken to the healthcare centre, the referral system will automatically generate another SMS. The messages will continue to be sent till the child completes the treatment and becomes an active part of the community.

The surveillance system, currently functional in 18 districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, will be expanded, said Dr Tauseef. The system will also help provide updated statistics on malnutrition in the country and will be accessible by everyone.

Participants recommended that the treatment procedure for infants under six months suffering from severe malnutrition should also be included in the guidelines. A number of paediatricians were trained on treating children suffering from malnutrition.

Nutritionists also suggested amendments in the existing guidelines on the management of severe acute malnutrition. They said children suffering from sever acute malnutrition should be hospitalised for a week instead of a month. Children should be referred to the outpatient department for follow-up treatment and mothers should be educated on preparing a balanced diet.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2012.