In a bid to address child malnutrition across the country, the government has introduced the inaugural national protocol. This protocol, which sets a standardized approach, directs the management of severely acutely malnourished (SAM) children without medical complications to take place at anganwadi centers instead of nutrition rehabilitation centers (NRC). The launch of this protocol, spearheaded by Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, is a comprehensive guide intended to both identify and provide thorough care and management for malnourished children.
Moreover, this protocol serves the vital purpose of early identification and assessment of malnutrition severity among children attending anganwadi centers, while also establishing a structured, time-bound course of treatment. Under this ‘Protocol for Management of Malnutrition in Children,’ SAM children facing medical complications will now be enrolled in NRCs. It introduces innovative measures such as appetite testing and the concept of a ‘buddy mother,’ which pairs the mother of a healthy child with the mother of a malnourished child to facilitate joint supervision and guidance regarding the health of the malnourished child. The protocol specifies that children displaying bilateral pitting edema (swelling in both legs with an indentation when pressure is applied) and failing the appetite test will be directed to NRCs for treatment.
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