A 5-day Training of Trainers (ToT) on the Management of Severely Acute Malnutrition (SAM) for Children under Five years was held last April 3-7, 2017 in Lucena City primarily to train community health workers, health professionals and LGU leaders to identify, refer, and provide rights-based care, counseling, and monitoring of children under-5 and their families towards SAM. Mr. Roberto D. Gajo, the Provincial Nutrition Action Officer of Quezon, acknowledged the crucial roles of the participants in aiming for #ZeroSAM in the province. Doctors, nurses, midwives, and dietitians from different private and district hospitals, municipal health officers, municipal nutrition action officers, and other community health workers attended the training. From these participants, pool of trainers was created for the roll-out of the training and program in the province.
This training was facilitated by trainers from UNICEF, National Nutrition Council, and Kalusugan ng Mag-ina, Inc. in partnership with the Provincial Nutrition Action Office (PNAO) of Quezon Province. As per UNICEF SAM Technical Coordinator, Mr. Alvin Manalansan, SAM Program will be a regular program of Department of Health (DOH). All succeeding ToT and roll-out of trainings on SAM Management in the country will be facilitated by the DOH as the lead implementer of this program. DOH will also procure and distribute commodities (e.g. Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, F75, and F100) for the treatment of SAM cases.
The 5-day training was composed of eight modules. Modules 1 and 2 discussed the overview of SAM as a silent emergency and how to identify children with SAM. Module 3 discussed the importance of community mobilization in addressing SAM. Module 4 discussed the Philippine Integrated Management of Malnutrition (PIMAM) and gave the participants the idea on how to implement the program in their respective areas. Module 5 was specific for the community health workers because it discussed the protocols for Outpatient Therapeutic Care (OTC) while Module 6 was specific for hospital caregivers since it discussed the protocols for Inpatient Therapeutic Care (ITC). Module 7 discussed the importance of proper communication and counseling to the caregivers of SAM patients. Lastly, Module 8 had been a venue to conduct a community practicum for community health workers on identifying SAM Cases in the community, where the participants had the chance to visit a health center in Pagbilao and do hands-on anthropometric measurements and case findings.
Quezon Province has a total of 12,357 recorded cases (Lucena City excluded) of wasted and severely wasted last 2016. SAM is the most extreme and visible form of undernutrition. Children who suffer from SAM require urgent treatment to survive. These children have very low weights for their height and severe muscle wasting. It is also a major cause of death among children under 5 years of age.
With the ToT done, the Province of Quezon is now one step closer in achieving #ZeroSAM in the province.
