Child malnutrition rapidly increasing from economic crisis

Malnutrition in children is rapidly increasing in the country due to the current food shortages arising from the current economic crisis, Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Deepal Perera said.

He told the Daily Mirror that following a cross-sectional study at the LRH, it had been revealed that eleven children out of 53 were malnourished and four children were found to be severely malnourished.

Accordingly, 20 percent of the children in the ward are facing malnutrition, he said.

The income of the families was reduced after the COVID-19 situation and with the current economic crisis. 

Dr. Perera is requesting parents to provide a healthy diet as much as they can. He asked the parents to provide leaf vegetables and grain varieties. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)