Dr. Sanjay K Rai on Outlook Poshan 2.0 Reach Each Child initiative launched by Outlook and Reckitt.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Malnutrition is a problem for almost entire world.
00:09 We have two types of malnutrition.
00:10 One is undernutrition and another one is overnutrition.
00:13 Both are types of malnutrition.
00:16 In our country, majority of people, especially children and reproductive age group females,
00:24 we have undernutrition.
00:25 So, undernutrition is a major problem for our country.
00:29 If you see the developed country, so overnutrition is a problem, obesity is a problem, there
00:34 are many diseases related to obesity, etc.
00:37 Here it is a problem, although we have lot of programs, very good programs to tackle
00:44 this type of problem, but somehow we are unable to make a significant dent in last 50 years.
00:51 Current government also launched this potion of yarn in 2018, if I recall correctly, started
00:57 from your Rajasthan with clear-cut objective, with clear-cut target that you will achieve
01:05 at least 2% reduction in malnutrition, that is undernutrition, then your anemia 3% reduction,
01:14 anemia per annum reduction.
01:16 So we have very good program.
01:17 The problem is the implementation part.
01:20 Somehow we are not implementing properly.
01:22 There are various reasons, some social reasons.
01:25 Majority of these are social reasons, not just medical reason, but if you see your technical
01:34 component, so program, we have very good programs for anemia, anemia bharat state, anemia prophylaxis
01:42 program since last more than 40 years this country is having.
01:48 But the implementation part is problem.
01:50 There are some social issues like people are not taking, although all these medicines are
01:55 freely available, there are various program like mid-day meal program to handle this type
02:01 of situation in children.
02:04 We have your ICDS for pregnant lactating mothers and children under 6 years and then the elder
02:11 gent, but somehow we are unable to make a significant dent.
02:14 This require a multi-pronged strategy.
02:17 The first is proper implementation and how will you ensure the proper implementation.
02:21 So a proper monitoring, like we have medical colleges in almost all the districts of, not
02:27 in all districts, but in all region of this country.
02:30 Involving medical institutions, we have some success story also involving medical institutions
02:37 like HIV programs.
02:39 One of the success story for a program is HIV control program in this country or polio
02:46 elimination program.
02:47 We involve all the medical institutions.
02:50 So for monitoring, training purpose we can involve the medical colleges of entire country.
02:58 There are more than 400 medical colleges, almost now it is more than 500 medical colleges
03:03 we have.
03:04 Each and every medical college have committee medicine department dealing with the public
03:09 health.
03:10 So we can involve them for the monitoring, for training.
03:14 So proper implementation is really required at this moment and through involving academicians,
03:22 we can ensure this.
03:23 We need people participation.
03:25 Our Pradhan Mantri also used to say that we need in a mission mode.
03:31 So people participation is a must.
03:33 So committee medicine department, they are working with the people of their own community.
03:40 So in almost in all district where they are there, they are responsible for 50 to 1 lakh
03:47 population.
03:49 So they can implement, they can create a model, committee medicine people.
03:53 The main role is doing research.
03:55 Research is one of the core domain of committee medicine people, training of various health
04:00 care providers.
04:01 So various way we can involve the committee medicine department for promoting our target,
04:09 to achieve our target.
04:12 If you see the NFHS-5 data, I just compared NFHS-45, even anemia, although our target
04:19 was to reduce 3% every year, but anemia in all age group, either pregnancy or in under
04:27 five children, there is no significant rate, but it has increased.
04:33 See we do not have any direct correlation and we do not have sufficient evidence, but
04:39 as a proxy indicator, we can say those who are malnourished, the immunity level is usually
04:45 low.
04:47 And if your immunity level is low, then the chances of getting infection and after infection
04:52 of SARS-CoV-2, then chances of becoming the worst, that is severe COVID would be high.
05:01 So otherwise we do not have sufficient evidence that a malnourished person is always at the
05:08 very high risk of die, but definitely theoretically they are at the greater risk.
05:12 Like we have very good programs, but the problem is the implementation of this program involving
05:18 various sectors like you people are doing this, Outlook is doing the great job in the
05:25 IC related activities.
05:28 So multisectoral coordination is required.
05:31 It's not the only one sector which can help.
05:34 And see the overall nutrition is not problem of health or individual.
05:40 It's a problem of the entire community.
05:42 So really we require a multi-pronged strategy involving almost all other sectors, social
05:49 sectors, child welfare department, other health department, nutrition department.
05:57 So all these really the most important thing involving them and monitoring is also an important
06:06 aspect.
06:07 So how to monitor?
06:09 The best way, first identify the gap.
06:11 So identification of gap should be one of the important strategy.
06:17 And if you know the gaps, then you can execute all your intervention in a proper manner.
06:24 So this is important.
06:26 And I hope that with this type of leadership under our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we
06:33 will achieve our targets.
06:37 Somehow during COVID time, this was an extraordinary situation.
06:42 We didn't achieve, but definitely we will achieve.
06:45 [Music]