Nuwakot, August 25 :

Almost 80 per cent children of Betini village development committee of Nuwakot district are malnourished, a recently conducted medical check-up revealed.

A team of health workers from District Public Health Office, Nuwakot, had conducted health check-up of the children in the VDC after seven children died of diarrhoea, respiratory problems and fever within the period from July to mid-August.

Chief of DPHO, Dr Bikash Lamichhane, said unhealthy eating habits, poverty and lack of awareness about health were the main reasons for the children of Betini being undernourished.

Though there is a sub health post at Betini, there is no medical personnel and medicines there.

A team of medical professionals had reached Betini last week and conducted health check-up of over 100 children of Betini and almost 80 per cent of them had problems related to malnourishment.

Dr Bikash Lamichhane said most of the children were suffering from diarrhoea.

Most of the men from the village go to Himachal Pradesh of India for work and the women here take their ill children to local healers.

This is the reason for children suffering from illnesses like diarrhoea and dehydration leading to malnourishment, health assistant Ram Mani Ghimire, a member of the team, said.