Nutritional Rehab

The work of Nutritional Rehab, for severely malnourished children, continues.  It was originally a separate Unit in its own building, but now that there are fewer patients, the Unit has been incorporated into the Medical Centre.

Community education visits to teach people about the importance of good nutrition and good hygiene with the aim of preventing malnutrition, has led to less children needing admission.  However, those who are admitted are increasingly sick, with conditions such as malaria, pneumonia, or anaemia as well as severe malnutrition, thus they are staying longer in the Medical Centre.

The number of patients in the Medical Centre, and the level of care many of them need, continues to increase so caring for children with malnutrition in the Medical Centre enables more efficient use of nursing staff and sharing of skills.

The children usually stay for several weeks (with their mother) where they receive nutritional rehabilitation and any other medical care required.  At the same time, their mothers are taught about nutrition, including crop selection and management, and receive cooking demonstrations in the Education Kitchen. They also receive instruction on basic hygiene and how to play with their children.

Once the children reach their target weight they return home but continue to receive regular assessments, either in the community or as an Outpatient.