The social welfare department of the Women and Child Development ministry of Jharkhand has issued a tender inviting "expression of interest" from food manufacturers for packaged Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to be given to children afflicted by SAM.
This comes close on the heels of a recent Cochrane review which looked at numerous studies on RUTF and concluded that there was little evidence that RUTF was any better than standard diet in treating Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
The tender document claimed that the central ministry's department of health and family welfare along with Indian Academy of Paediatrics had recommended community based therapeutic feeding programmeas part of a holistic approach to SAM. "The community based approach aims at provision of energy dense fortified RUTF which is nutritionally adequate for the child with SAM," stated the document. It further stated that "to initiate the appropriate and adequate nutritional treatment at the household level a specific therapeutic food is required. The food is part of the nutritional treatment and is meant only for children afflicted with SAM."
However in a paper published in 2009 on whether India ought to use RUTF for SAM, the Working Group For Children Under Six, comprising paediatricians and nutritional experts had stated: "The guidelines for community and homebased treatment of SAM formulated by a large group of experts and supported by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics recommends the use of home-based food (modified from the family pot). It specifically warns that commercially available international RUTF may not be suitable, acceptable, cost-effective and sustainable.
In the context of SAM in India, an Experts' Group Meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Director General of Health Services in May 2010 in which the group decided that trials would be conducted to study different indigenous nutritional interventions in the community management of children affected by SAM. Despite the clear emphasis on indigenous nutritional interventions of which there are several examples which have been shown to be very successful in the treatment of SAM in various states, Jharkhand seems to pushing for commercialisation in the name of addressing malnutrition.
Giving specifications for the RUTF, the tender document listed the minimum quantity in microgram and milligram of different vitamins A, D, E, C, B12 etc. and micronutrients such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron and so on which have to be present in a 100gm package of the RUTF. After detailing a battery of safety tests for each batch, the document elaborated how 150 sachets, each containing 92 grams, have to be packed in a carton etc. It also stated that the company bidding to get the contract would have to have a minimum annual turnover of Rs 2.5 crore in the last three financial years and have the experience and capacity to produce and supply similar products to government or international organizations.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Jharkhand govt to provide contract to food industry to treat acute malnutrition
Dengan url
http://obecedes.blogspot.com/2013/09/jharkhand-govt-to-provide-contract-to.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Jharkhand govt to provide contract to food industry to treat acute malnutrition
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Jharkhand govt to provide contract to food industry to treat acute malnutrition
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar