Malnutrition clinics are either prohibitively distant or not accessible at all. There is a better way.
I’ve just returned from the world’s youngest nation, and it is on life support. South Sudan has been riven by wars that have caused the deaths and displacement of millions of civilians. Four and a half million people have fled their homes, with two million now living in camps. Tragically, these are the lucky ones–they have access to meager food supplies, thanks to the concentrated humanitarian presence around them.
There were no other options for Miriam, because according to current global guidelines, the treatment for acute malnutrition can be administered only in clinics. In South Sudan, clinics are either prohibitively distant or not accessible at all. The existing system enlists two separate U.N agencies, using two separate treatment products backed by two distinct supply chains, and it divides acute malnutrition into two categories, when in fact it is a one condition.
I visited communities where volunteer health workers trained by the IRC are diagnosing and treating malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea. But they must refer children with malnutrition to clinics miles away. Each of these women, mothers themselves, expressed their commitment to their neighbors and told me that they yearn to also treat one of the deadliest killers of all acute malnutrition. The only thing preventing them from doing so are the regulations of the current arcane system.
Of course South Sudan is not alone. There are 50 million children around the globe who are, on this very day, suffering from acute malnutrition. Roughly 80 percent of them have no access to treatment at all. A better solution is in front of us and political will amongst aid organizations, UN agencies, governments and international donors is the first step. They should prioritize solutions that address acute malnutrition. This means supporting efforts for community health workers to treat it.
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