Women and children outside Sishu Bhavan in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Dec. 17: A nutritional rehabilitation centre will shortly be made functional at the Sardar Ballabhbhai Patel Postgraduate Institute for Paediatrics, popularly known as Sishu Bhavan, here to provide advanced health care to malnourished newborns.

The centre will act as a tertiary referral centre where severely malnourished children from various parts of the state will be treated under one roof.

Sishu Bhavan is one of the major paediatric care centres in the state with an annual inflow of more than 90,000 patients.

“Children in the age group of six months to five years who are severely malnourished will be provided with advanced medical care and treatment at the centre,” said Sishu Bhavan superintendent Niranjan Mohanty.

The centre will initially start with 10 beds and the capacity is likely to be increased keeping in view the inflow of patients.

Two doctors, a nutritionist and a cook will treat the patients and prepare health diet for the malnourished children according to their weight at the centre.

Nutritional rehabilitation centres have already been opened at various districts, while the centre at Sishu Bhavan will act as a referral unit where children with acute malnourishment can be treated.

The centre at Sishu Bhavan will act as the nodal centre where emphasis will be given on training of nurses, NGOs and other health workers to identify cases of malnourishment among children so that proper treatment can be provided to them on time.