Nutrition Programme
Malnutrition programme
It is estimated that 30% of the population in the Kibogora area are under nourished and there are a growing number of children being admitted to the hospital suffering from malnutrition. Children being born to poorly nourished mothers can be born prematurely or can be born severely under a healthy body weight. The children who are malnourished are susceptible to disease and take much longer to recover from even mild infections. The “Sponsor a Bed” programme is helping to fund the feeding programme which is making a huge difference in the lives of many of these children.
HIV/Aids is a major cause of patients being admitted to hospital. At times more than 50% of the beds in the medical wards can be filled with patients suffering from Aids or conditions associated with Aids. The number of children left as orphans due to Aids continues to grow as does the number of elderly left to look after their grand children. Fortunately the availability of drugs has grown over the last five years which enables patients suffering from the disease to live much longer and have productive lives for a much greater period than before.
In the case of HIV/Aids patients who want to be included in the new treatment regime they are required to be well nourished otherwise they are excluded. The rules laid down by the international donors make it clear that if a person is severely malnourished their chances of benefitting from the treatment regime are greatly reduced. Therefore, as there is a limited amount of funds for drugs only those with the best chance of benefitting can be included. This means that those who are rejected have a very limited life expectancy.
In all of these cases the inclusion of the patients in the feeding programme is the best and most cost effective method of treatment as it greatly reduces the amount of medication required and the amount of time they will be a patient in the hospital.
It costs approximately £5.00 ($10.00) per week to include a patient on the supplementary feeding programme, about the cost of a hamburger and a soft drink!