Health ministry records massive spike in malnourished patients

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) public health ministry said 820,000 people, including mothers and children, have sought treatment for malnutrition so far this year.
According to a video message by Javid Hajir, a spokesman for the ministry, 570,000 of them were children under the age of five.
Hajir added that during this period, about 381,000 cases of severe malnutrition and 189,000 cases of moderate malnutrition have been registered throughout the country.
He said their survey showed that 3.8 million children under the age of five were currently suffering from malnutrition in Afghanistan, of which about 1 million had severe malnutrition and about 2.8 million of these children suffer from moderate malnutrition.
According to a VOA report, the public health ministry said more than 360 malnourished children had died in Afghanistan since the beginning of the year.
There are currently more than 2,400 health centers across Afghanistan for the treatment of malnourished patients.
“Also, 120 of our central, provincial and district hospitals have been set up to provide inpatient services to these patients. At present, 12,400 inpatients are currently with us,” Hajir said.
Two days ago, a senior official of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Afghanistan expressed concern that with each passing day, the incidence of malnutrition among children in the country is increasing.
Mohamed Ag Ayoya, from UNICEF Afghanistan, tweeted that he and a director of the fund had visited a number of hospitals in Kabul and Parwan province to review the treatment of malnourished children.
Ayoya added that they have seen children dying in these hospitals.
A day earlier, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that 1.1 million children in Afghanistan were facing the most severe forms of acute malnutrition.The post Health ministry records massive spike in malnourished patients first appeared on Ariana News.

Source: Ariana News