Hospital gives back to patients
“We get seven to nine children per month with malnutrition. It became a serious concern.”
The Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital donated food parcels packed with various nutritious food products to 20 children suffering from malnutrition during a prayer session and the launch of the Feed A Child Program (FACP) on January 5.
The program aims to support patients aged 13 and above who were admitted to the hospital for malnutrition.
This follows a rapid increase in the admission of children who are suffering from malnutrition since June 2022.
Acting operation manager Ntombienhle Jele said they initiated the FACP because, during the admission of children, they find that a lot of children lack adequate nutrition. When they ask the parents they say they do not have anything to offer.
“We decided to run a campaign whereby we ask for donations from the community after seeing that our government is carrying a lot of burdens. The community and hospital staff contributed towards the initiative.”
Jele said they noticed the challenge around June when they admitted more children. She explained the stats indicate that Ekurhuleni has a 14% increase.
“I do the monthly stats for malnutrition and you would find that per month we get seven to nine children with malnutrition. It became a serious concern.
“This is due to the closure of companies where people are losing jobs. They are depressed and unable to feed their families.
“We are asking the community to help us. We intend to do it monthly and increase our coverage to other areas outside Kathorus, but we do not get enough food.”
She said another challenge is that they were offered temporary storage space.
“We need a safe space, as we do not want a scandal of losing food. Once we have storage space we will start collecting. For now, we only hand them out in December or January. The more we get we will be able to assist more families.”
Jele said they educate parents about malnutrition. They even went to a local radio station to request a slot to educate and reach more parents.
“The majority of parents are not even aware that their children could be suffering from malnutrition. One of the signs is when a child becomes chubby. Parents often assume that the child is healthy because they are gaining weight which is not valid.”
She explained that there are three types of nutrition including no adequate malnutrition, and moderate malnutrition when the child starts showing signs and symptoms. They are both treated in the clinics.
The third one is severe malnutrition which must be treated in the hospital.
“Children have to consume food containing high protein because when it is low every system is affected. Parents should feed children vegetables as well as high-protein foods like eggs, tin fish and baked beans. Do not feed your child starch only.
“Another thing is to ensure that the child always eats. Once a child refuses food you should know that something is wrong. It means they are in severe acute malnutrition. It shows that the child has given up and their system is messed up,” said Jele.
Dangers of malnutrition
She said the worst-case scenario is that the child could die because when they get to the hospital they do not have protein.
Their hearts become smaller and enzymes in the stomach do not function properly which causes them to vomit all the time and have diarrhoea, she added.
“When the body does not have protein the fluids go anywhere. The child becomes chubby and refuses food and their sugar and temperature level decreases which ultimately causes death.”
Prayer session
The event started with a prayer session to pray for healthcare professionals, patients and the general public.
Pastors from various religious backgrounds and community members attended the session. The prayer sessions will continue twice every month.
Jele said they began with prayer sessions in January 2022. The public is invited to join. The official dates will be shared at a later stage.
For more information like the TMRH Feed a child campaign Facebook page.
