31 Mar 2019

Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Biggie Butale says the annual prevalence rate of malnutrition in Boteti was 4.1 per cent in 2018 compared to the national average of 3.8 per cent.

Mr Butale said some of the ongoing interventions to prevent and address malnutrition included the supplementary feeding programme, integrated management of acute malnutrition, both in hospitals and outpatient facilities, and using therapeutic products based on medical protocols.

Mr Butale explained that Boteti was one of the few districts which had nutritionists based at the District Health Management Team (DHMT) headquarters.

He noted that the nutritionist currently facilitated all health facilities in the district to coordinate all nutrition interventions in the district such as child growth monitoring, provision of interventions and reports to the ministry on a monthly basis.

Mr Butale further explained that the causes of malnutrition were various and included inappropriate feeding practices, household food insecurity, poverty and illnesses such as diarrhea and other infections which hindered efficient utilisation of food in the body.

Malnutrition like other disease contributes to child mortality because it affects the physiological processes of the body, reducing the body’s ability to fight infections and as such may lead to death if not treated, he said.

“Currently, there is no dietician based at any of the hospitals in the Boteti DHMT. The dieticians at Nyangabgwe hospital were providing nutrition and dietetics services and due to shortage, they have stopped the outreach services and patients are referred to Nyangabgwe hospital to access these services,” he said.

Mr Butale highlighted that currently, the ministry had placed dieticians at all referral and district hospitals and some primary hospitals such as Tsabong, Hukuntsi and Ghanzi.

The ministry, he said, would look into provision of outreach support visits by dieticians to provide services at Boteti hospitals while looking into creating positions and placing dieticians in the district.

Member of Parliament for Boteti East, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe had asked the minister to update Parliament on the status of malnutrition in Boteti as reported by Letlhakane Primary Hospital.

He also wanted to be briefed on the causes of malnutrition, whether it did not contribute to child mortality in the district, and if the ministry would consider starting a nutrition clinic with a dietician and nutritionist to monitor child growth and mortality.

Furthermore, MP Lelatisitswe also wanted to know when the clinic would be established within Letlhakane hospital and Boteti DHMT. ENDS