The Department of Health is developing a package of interventions to tackle child malnutrition. This comes after Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed in Parliament that over 600 children have died from malnutrition in South Africa this year.
During a response to a written parliamentary question, Motsoaledi says that KwaZulu-Natal experienced the most deaths, followed by Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.
Acting Director for Maternal, Child, and Women’s Health at the Health Department Dr Lesley Bamford says, “Our goal is to try and ensure that young children survive, and thrive. But we know that in South Africa, many children do still suffer from and die from chronic, preventable childhood illnesses, including malnutrition.
“So, we have a package of interventions and are trying to prevent malnutrition, but unfortunately there are many challenges- and although the number of children with severe acute malnutrition seems to be declining again, it remains a huge area of concern,” Dr Bamford explains.
