Study suggests Karnataka’s nutritional centres should fill staffing gaps

Bengaluru: Filling the staff shortage in Karnataka’s nutritional rehabilitation centres (NRCs) should be the top priority to improve their efficiency, a paper by the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) has found.

The paper examined the infrastructure and service delivery of NRCs, which, as per the National Health Mission guidelines, provide nutritional and integrated community support to children with Severe Acute Malnourishment (SAM).

These centres, which have between five and 20 beds, cater to the over 11,600 children in Karnataka suffering from SAM.

The state has 119 NRCs — 33 at the district level (21 attached to district hospitals and 12 to medical colleges) and 86 at the taluk level. The budget allocated for NRCs in the 2024-25 financial year was Rs 392 crore.

Between October and December of last year, the ISEC team studied three NRCs — Yadgir, Gadag, and Ramanagar — as region-wise samples, selected based on child malnutrition prevalence reported in the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5). The team submitted its report to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare last month.

"We conducted face-to-face interviews with the parents of children admitted at these NRCs about the service. We also gathered information from healthcare providers about their challenges and lacunae in service delivery,” said Dr CM Lakshmana, ISEC’s Head of Population Research Centre.

The study revealed several gaps, including vacant medical officer posts, delayed staff salaries, and inadequate staffing in all three NRCs, impacting admission rates and services.

In Yadgir

Yadgir’s NRC faced challenges with a daily wage loss compensation of just Rs 100 for caregivers and poor awareness, affecting admissions.

In Gadag

Gadag’s NRC suffered from staff shortages at the attached district hospital, lacked a separate kitchen for children's food, and had no play area or television.

Both Yadgir and Gadag NRCs experienced shortages of some antibiotics and eye drops.

In Ramanagar

In Ramanagar, investigators found unsatisfactory maintenance of the admission registry with mismatched information, and a lack of space for nursing stations, children’s play areas, and counselling zones.

Despite these issues, all three NRCs reported strong recovery rates between 94.4 per cent and 97.4 per cent, with Gadag recording the highest. Ramanagar had the best average daily weight gain at 18.5 gm/kg/day.

"Based on our findings, the overall service is good, but there are gaps that need to be filled, especially in the central and northern parts of Karnataka," Dr Lakshmana added. "There will be district-wise differences, but these are representative samples of each region. If these gaps are addressed, state institutions can better care for children with malnutrition."