Malnutrition claims 18 children's lives in Kavango East, Kavango West
Dozens died from malnutrition in 2023 in the regions, committee told
Kavango East health director Idah Mendai revealed that approximately 14 000 malnutrition cases have been recorded so far this year, resulting in 15 young children dying as a result.
Fifteen children have reportedly died from complications from malnutrition in the Kavango East Region this year, while Kavango West recorded three similar deaths.
This was revealed during a visit to the regions by the parliamentary standing committee on gender equality, social development and family affairs.
Kavango East health director Idah Mendai revealed that approximately 14 000 malnutrition cases have been recorded so far this year, resulting in 15 deaths.
Last year, 2 716 cases were recorded, with 30 deaths from malnutrition, with teenage pregnancies cited as a contributing factor to the high number of cases.
Committee member Rebecca Ndjoze-Ojo stressed that food self-sufficiency is one of the ways to combat malnutrition.
"It is a very sad situation that we have to tackle head-on to ensure our children do not die of malnutrition. The solution lies in returning to the land and producing agricultural produce so that we don't have to import maize from neighbouring countries to feed our children. Food self-sufficiency is crucial,” she said.
Ndjoze-Ojo said the decrease in deaths from malnutrition in the Kavango West Region, from 20 last year to three so far this year, as a significant improvement.
"Despite the efforts by doctors and nurses in the region to mitigate malnutrition, it remains a significant challenge. When we arrived, we knew the situation was dire, but we wanted to see first-hand what is happening. We had a presentation from a doctor representing all the doctors in the region and received very good recommendations for the way forward. However, there are issues with the distribution of nutritional supplements, which are imported and sometimes disrupted, causing many problems," she said.
Empowering mothers
Ndjoze-Ojo suggested ways to empower mothers with hospitalised children.
"A mother with a child in the hospital for recovery can use her time to plant vegetables in a nearby field. This can supplement their diet and provide a distraction from the sick child, giving her a break and some fresh air," she said.
"We saw a histogram that showed how the death rate increased significantly when the nutritional supplements were unavailable. Every child that dies from malnutrition is a loss to the country, so we are not celebrating the reduction in deaths as an achievement. Our goal is that no child should die from malnutrition because it is preventable and treatable," she added.
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This was revealed during a visit to the regions by the parliamentary standing committee on gender equality, social development and family affairs.
Kavango East health director Idah Mendai revealed that approximately 14 000 malnutrition cases have been recorded so far this year, resulting in 15 deaths.
Last year, 2 716 cases were recorded, with 30 deaths from malnutrition, with teenage pregnancies cited as a contributing factor to the high number of cases.
Committee member Rebecca Ndjoze-Ojo stressed that food self-sufficiency is one of the ways to combat malnutrition.
"It is a very sad situation that we have to tackle head-on to ensure our children do not die of malnutrition. The solution lies in returning to the land and producing agricultural produce so that we don't have to import maize from neighbouring countries to feed our children. Food self-sufficiency is crucial,” she said.
Ndjoze-Ojo said the decrease in deaths from malnutrition in the Kavango West Region, from 20 last year to three so far this year, as a significant improvement.
"Despite the efforts by doctors and nurses in the region to mitigate malnutrition, it remains a significant challenge. When we arrived, we knew the situation was dire, but we wanted to see first-hand what is happening. We had a presentation from a doctor representing all the doctors in the region and received very good recommendations for the way forward. However, there are issues with the distribution of nutritional supplements, which are imported and sometimes disrupted, causing many problems," she said.
Empowering mothers
Ndjoze-Ojo suggested ways to empower mothers with hospitalised children.
"A mother with a child in the hospital for recovery can use her time to plant vegetables in a nearby field. This can supplement their diet and provide a distraction from the sick child, giving her a break and some fresh air," she said.
"We saw a histogram that showed how the death rate increased significantly when the nutritional supplements were unavailable. Every child that dies from malnutrition is a loss to the country, so we are not celebrating the reduction in deaths as an achievement. Our goal is that no child should die from malnutrition because it is preventable and treatable," she added.
[email protected]
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