Food Coupon Generation for SAM Children

What is SAM CHILDREN

Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is a preventable and treatable cause of morbidity and mortality in children below 5 years of age. Govt. of West Bengal department of Health & Family Welfare has taken the lead and established Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre across the state to ensure quality care to the children with SAM. Nutrition Rehabilitation Center (NRC) is a unit in health facility where children with SAM are admitted and managed by the doctors, nutritionist, staff nurse & other support staffs. In addition to curative care, special focus is given on
1. correction of micronutrient deficiency
2. timely, adequate and appropriate feeding for children;
3. improving skills of mothers on proper dietary practices, sanitation, hygiene etc.
4. capacity building of mothers/caregivers on proper cooking method, preparation of low cost nutritious food for children.
5. Facility based follow-up of NRC graduates

Objective of facility based management of SAM ::

• To provide clinical management and reduce mortality among children with severe acute malnutrition, particularly among those with medical complications.
• To promote physical and psychosocial growth of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
• To build the capacity of mothers and other care givers in appropriate feeding and caring practices for infants and young children.
• To identify the social factors that contributed to the child slipping into severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

Services provide at the facility:

• 24 hour care and monitoring of the child.
• Treatment of medical complications.
• Therapeutic feeding/ formula feeding to the admitted childen.
• Providing sensory stimulation and emotional care
• Social assessment of the family to identify and address contributing factors.
• Counseling on appropriate feeding, care and hygiene.
• Demonstration and practice-by-doing on the preparation of energy dense child foods using locally available, culturally acceptable and affordable food items.
• Follow up of children discharged from the facility.