Some 12 children died of the disease in a year in the village
BAJURA, MARCH 26
A significant population of children in Bajura's Swamikartik Khapar Rural Municipality, Muktikot, are suffering from malnutrition, a recent survey revealed. The rural municipality had deployed a team of health workers to the village to conduct health check-up of children claiming that the entire Muktikot village was in the throes of malnutrition.
According to rural municipality health section Chief Bhakta Bahadur Kaila, 84 kids were confirmed to be suffering from malnutrition during health check-up in Muktikot.
"The results of health checkup show that 52 kids are suffering from mild malnutrition, while 20 children have moderate level of malnutrition and 12 others have severe malnutrition," Kaila said.
It is important to note that Muktikot is a settlement of around 400 Dalit families and is said to be the poorest village in the entire country.
"Though the check-up has shown that the number of malnourished kids stands at 84, malnutrition is even more rampant in the village and almost everyone seems to be suffering from nutritional deficiency, including women in peri-natal phases," he added.
Furthermore, it is learnt that some 12 children have died in the past one year in the village and since the start of this fiscal.
"As it appears, malnutrition was the main cause of the deaths of kids in the village," Kaila said.
Just a few days ago, a team of this daily had reached the village for field reporting. During the reporting, the locals had shared that children's death was normal in the village.
"Not only kids, but many new mothers and expecting mothers are suffering from nutritional deficiency in the village, but no one cares," said local Bal Bahadur BK. He also accused the government of ignoring them.
Meanwhile, besides malnutrition, the population of the village is also plagued by health and other problems.
However, the government and non-government organisations have failed to give proper attention to the village.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 27, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
