Doctors: 8–10 Malnourished Children Visit Indira Gandhi Hospital Daily

Doctors at the malnutrition department of Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital say that eight to ten children suffering from malnutrition visit the hospital every day; however, only two to three children with severe conditions are hospitalized.

Ferozan Azimi, a nurse at the hospital, said: “If patients do not show specific symptoms, they are not admitted and are referred to clinics near their homes. But if their condition is critical, we hospitalize them here.”

A two-and-a-half-year-old child lies weak in one of the beds at Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, at times closing his eyes from exhaustion and at times showing restlessness. His mother says her son was supposed to undergo surgery, but doctors postponed the operation due to severe malnutrition.

Latifa, the child’s mother, told “Yesterday we were referred from the surgery department to the malnutrition ward so that his weight can increase and then the operation can be performed.”

The causes of malnutrition among children vary. Rehana, another young child, is admitted to the malnutrition ward at Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital after being fed powdered milk.

Safia, the child’s mother, said: “The doctor told me that because I gave him powdered milk, the child became malnourished and that I should stop giving it to him.”

Noor, another mother, said: “He doesn’t eat bread, only porridge and drinks water. That is what caused his malnutrition.”

According to doctors, in addition to poverty and the economic hardship faced by families, a lack of attention to proper child nutrition is one of the main factors contributing to the spread of malnutrition.

Arzo Pashtoon Yousufi, a doctor at the hospital, said: “Mothers may think a child looks healthy because they are chubby, but in reality, a lack of vitamins and proteins causes swelling and leads to malnutrition.”

According to global statistics, Afghanistan remains one of the main centers of child malnutrition. Last month, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that recent assessments show more than 1.2 million children in Afghanistan have been screened for acute malnutrition, and nearly 857,000 children under the age of five require treatment for severe malnutrition.