BANGUED, Abra- This capital town initiated the therapeutic feeding of severely acute malnourished children under a new program on nutrition that would soon be replicated regionwide.

Bella Basalong, Nutrition Officer III of NNC-CAR undergoing a masteral degree course  with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), initiated the establishment of the community based management of severe acute malnutrition guided by the DOH  Administrative Order N0 2015-055: National Guidelines on the Management of Acute Malnutrition for children under five years as her course re-entry project.

Basalong assisted by the DOH regional office started the project with an orientation and training of key LGU stakeholders and health center staff. Trained Barangay Nutrition Scholars started validating list of children through the conduct of weight and height taking and measurements of the mid upper arm circumference since mid- November 2016 and currently identified  four severely  malnourished children  and enrolled them in the program as of January 10, 2017.  Basalong said that additional children will be enrolled as they are identified. The full validation of children in all the barangays of this town is expected to be completed this January.

Children enrolled in the program will undergo therapeutic feeding,  other medical interventions and weekly monitoring managed by the health center for four months. DOH provided ready to eat therapeutic food (RUTF), the product approved by the DOH for this program.

Basalong, who spent most of her days in this town for the last two months assisting the health center on the project will hand over the full management of the project through a turn over program on January 19. Representatives of the DOH regional office are expected to attend the ceremony.

The management of acute malnutrition will be one of the major programs for nutrition to be implemented by the DOH in collaboration with the LGUs in the next five years under the new Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition, 2017-2022.

Rita Papey, Nutrition Program Coordinator of NNC-CAR said that the experience from this project in Abra will help the NNC-CAR  as it prepares for wider implementation of the new nutrition program addressing acute malnutrition.  NEP