Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, February 9:

Under the plan, “United Management Programme for Child Illness” in Sarlahi, the Ministry of Health intends to bring down the mortality rate of children suffering from pneumonia, according to a press release issued here today.

The programme will also address other community-based treatment programmes for child illnesses, like diarrhoea, malnutrition, and malaria.

For this programme, training will be given from February 20 to identify pneumonia and the methods of its treatment to technical and rural health workers, child mortality workers, local shamans, members of Mothers’ Group and local female health volunteers.

The programme will cover 182 health technicians, 118 members of Health Assistance Committee (HAS) , 173 rural health workers and child morality workers, 1,324 female health volunteers, and 13,365 members of Mother’s Group in 99 Village Development Committees of Sarlahi. To make the programme effective, 396 local shamans will also be given training.

After the training, female health volunteers will reach out to the each household for health check up and medication of children within the age group of 2 months to 5 years and encourage parents of children below 2 months suffering from pneumonia to take them to health posts.

The release added that, it is estimated that in Nepal, 300 from 1000 children suffer from pneumonia. The programme is operating in 24 districts.