Between eight and fifteen malnourished children are admitted to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital at any given time, while Mbale Regional Referral Hospital receives at least one malnourished child daily.
The rising number of malnourished children under five in the Teso Sub-region has prompted medical professionals to urge parents to ensure their children receive five nutritious meals each day.
Many of these children exhibit signs of kwashiorkor, including swollen cheeks, distended stomachs, hair changes, and a gaunt appearance that makes them look much older than their age.
Dr. George Olupot, a pediatrician at Soroti Hospital, highlighted that poverty and family breakdown are major contributors to malnutrition, with many parents left to cope alone after separation.
At Mbale Hospital, Dr. Juliet Ikiror shared that a worrying number of children are succumbing to malnutrition, with many being referred from surrounding districts such as Ngora, Kumi, Bukedea, Pallisa, and Tororo. She emphasized the importance of meal planning, advising parents to ensure their children consume five meals daily while maintaining a balanced diet.
According to her, inadequately fed children under five tend to have lower cognitive abilities, perform poorly in school, and experience unhappiness due to impaired brain development. “Raise children with healthy brains, and they will excel academically,” she remarked.
Dr. Ikiror also advised working mothers to be vigilant about caregivers, noting that some consume meals meant for the children if not properly supervised. She concluded by recommending a balanced diet that incorporates locally available foods such as bread, cassava, sweet potatoes, beans, silver fish, and chicken, among others.
These concerns were raised during a health camp held at Kapir Health Center III in Ngora District. Residents Janet Aunyo and John Bosco Okapet from Kapir Sub-county said feeding children under five three times a day is their usual practice. Okapet mentioned that providing five meals daily is challenging due to financial constraints, while Ben Omiat stressed the need for parent education on proper nutrition if malnutrition is to be effectively addressed.
Malnutrition remains a pressing issue in Uganda, with reports showing that over one-third of young children experience stunting and around 16% are underweight, according to the Office of the Prime Minister and UNICEF Uganda. Currently, more than 268,000 children in the country are affected by malnutrition, particularly in the form of wasting.
To address this, Uganda is improving data collection and analysis within healthcare systems and communities through the Nutrition Information System (NIS) project. This initiative is part of a broader effort to generate community-level data that will guide decisions aimed at improving population health.
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