Reference :
V-P-SO-E-00716
Date :
15/05/2015
Caption :
Baidoa, Regional Hospital Nutrition Stabilization Centre. A woman with her baby at the ward.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
A 23 years old woman has brought her 9-month-old baby to Baidoa Regional Hospital. The baby seems weak and is half-asleep cradled in her arms.
“He has been ill for a long time. I have been to a number of clinics but nothing seems to work. He has now been admitted here at the hospital, I pray he recovers.”
At the Baidoa Regional Hospital Nutrition Stabilization Centre, her baby will be given daily supplementary feeding rations and treated for any related diseases. He will stay in this feeding program until he attains the ideal weight.
ICRC committed to support Kismayo Hospital’s inpatient therapeutic feeding program (Stabilization Centre) after the untimely departure of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from Somalia in August 2013. It began a similar program at the Baidoa Regional Hospital in May 2015.
Malnutrition is a widespread problem among children in Somalia. It is mostly due to lack of food and commonly held misconceptions about feeding practice.
This woman stopped breastfeeding her baby and is not willing to take it up again. There is a likelihood she could be pregnant and fears that breastfeeding will harm her unborn child.
“There is a lack of knowledge on children’s nutritional needs. It is important the program works with the mothers and care givers to instill proper feeding practices,” says Kristy Manners, an ICRC delegate responsible for the nutrition program.
At the centre, this woman will be advised on proper feeding habits and the importance of breast milk to her baby’s health. Her case highlights the need for an inpatient program where the mother interacts regularly with the nutrition personnel while the baby undergoes recovery.
The Baidoa Hospital Stabilization Centre provides three meals a day for the mothers and care givers throughout the child’s recovery period.
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
4256x2832
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
