The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development announced the drafting of a standardized national protocol for the identification and management of malnourished children at the Anganwadi level. This protocol, titled the “Protocol for Management of Malnutrition in Children,” aims to provide detailed guidance on the identification and treatment of malnourished children.
Key Highlights:
- Launch Date: The Protocol for Management of Malnutrition in Children is scheduled to be officially launched on Tuesday.
- Integral Aspect of Mission Poshan 2.0: The identification and treatment of malnourished children are considered integral to Mission Poshan 2.0, a government initiative aimed at addressing malnutrition in India.
- Historical Approach: Historically, the treatment of children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) was primarily carried out through facility-based approaches.
- Innovative Protocol: The standardized national protocol represents an innovative approach to addressing malnutrition by providing detailed steps for the identification and management of malnourished children at the Anganwadi level.
- Collaborative Effort: The protocol has been developed through collaboration between the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MH&FW).
Protocol Objectives:
- Identification of malnourished children.
- Treatment and management of malnourished children at the Anganwadi level.
- Guidelines for decision-making regarding referral.
- Nutritional management.
- Follow-up care for malnourished children.
