Bajura, October 12

A majority of children are suffering from malnutrition due to various factors such as geographical remoteness, poverty and lack of public awareness, among others, in Bajura.

Different government and non-government organisations have been working hard to reduce the malnutrition rate to zero by 2025 in line with the national policy.

Health workers said it was very difficult to reach various parts of the district even though campaigns have been run to minimise malnutrition in the district.

According to Bajura District Public Health Office, children suffering from malnutrition are present in all the nine local levels of the district. As many as 108 malnourished children were found last year at Swamikartik Khapar Rural Municipality while three malnourished children were found at Gaumul Rural Municipality.

According to statistics, as many as 4,287 children suffered malnutrition in the last fiscal. Of them, as many as 143 children suffer from chronic type of malnutrition while 374 suffer from mild type of malnutrition. As many as 1,378 children were suffering from malnutrition in Bajura in fiscal 2016-17, while malnutrition was found among 994 children in fiscal 2017-18.

Acting Public Health Chief Ashok Singh said data was taken from different health facilities in the district. He said children were not developing according to their age.

Doctors said lack of nutritious food, sanitation, awareness, balanced diet and lack of salt, among others, were the chief reasons of malnutrition.

Meanwhile, multi regional nutrition programme has been launched in coordination with the local levels.

The rate of malnutrition has yet to cone down in the district even though different government and non-government organisations, including UNICEF, among others, have been working in the district.