Quake victims demand emergency nutrition programme

By Our Correspondent,Rukum West, Dec. 11: Earthquake victims have demanded an emergency nutrition programme in the earthquake-affected areas in Rukum West. 

At a discussion programme organised by the Education, Health and Information Technology Committee of the House of Representatives in Musikot, Rukum West, they demanded that an emergency nutrition programme should be launched in the quake-hit areas.

In the programme, the manager of the Health Service Office Rukum West, Dr. Shusil Pokharel, said that the risk of malnutrition was high as children, pregnant women, new mothers, senior citizens, chronically ill and disabled people were affected most by the earthquake.

Dr. Pokharel said that the victims were forced to eat junk food in large quantities as they lost grain stored in their homes when their houses collapsed in the November 3 earthquake. 

“The government needs to conduct an emergency nutrition programme in the affected areas,” Dr. Pokharel said.

As there is a lack of home-grown food crops, children, pregnant women and new mothers are forced to eat noodles, biscuits and bhujiya among others, which poses a long-term risk of malnutrition, said Pokharel. 

According to the Health Service Office in the district, a total of 99,584 locals have been affected by the quake. Of them, 10,614 are children, 1,808 are pregnant women, 3,581 are new mothers, 7,650 are senior citizens, 1,377 are people with long-term diseases and 1,064 are other citizens. 

In the discussion programme, it was stated that due to cold and other managerial weaknesses, the representatives have also demanded that at least four medical officers should be sent to the district to run mobile health camps. In addition, a budget for an immediate sanitation programme has also been demanded.

In the programme, the president of the committee, Bhanu Bhakta Joshi, said that the three levels of government should work in coordination so that the citizens of the earthquake-affected areas do not have to suffer more because of the cold and lack of clothing. Joshi assured that the needs of the health sector would be met. 

Informing that the government has released a budget of Rs. 10 billion for the construction of temporary housings, Joshi said that the budget of the President's Educational Reform Programme would also be spent in the construction of educational institutions in the earthquake-affected areas.