Growth monitoring of children aged five years and below has not picked up as expected in the country.
Considering this, the Health Ministry recently issued an Executive Order to health centres across the country to strictly monitor the growth which involves examining the height and body weight of the children. This is to maintain records of the children’s growth for assessment that is very important to define health and nutritional status at both individual and population level of children within age bracket of 1-5.
The age between 1-5 years is an active phase of growth for children and therefore need balance of all the nutrients in their body. The growth and development of a child can be tracked only through routine growth monitoring.
“When a child is growing rapidly you have to give all the right nutrients. Otherwise, child will not develop to its full potential both height wise and weight wise. Their neuro (brain)-development will not developed properly,” said the Health Secretary, Dr. Ugen Dophu. “From 0-1 year, parents frequent the hospital for immunisations and illness. But we recommend that between 1 to 5 years, they must bring their children hospital every three months to check height and weight and if complications arise, then health staff would educate them on feeding patterns.”
The Health Secretary, however, attributed complacency of both parents and health facilities for lack of proper growth monitoring.
“After the child attains 2 years, there are not much regular update on height and weight of a child,” added Dr. Ugen Dophu.
The executive order is expected to address stunting and wasting in children. According to the National Nutrition Survey of 2015, a little over 21 percent of children from 1 to 5 years are said to be stunted.
