Project Updates
Healthcare
Baby Friendly Community Initiative
by Anne Marie Goss, MJP-NHS Senior Nurse Practitioner
01 June 2010
Child and maternal malnutrition is a major health problem in Cambodia and contributes significantly to the country’s high infant and child mortality rates. As Samlout is one of Cambodia’s most deprived areas, malnutrition is very common there. At the MJP health centre and health post, the staff has been properly trained to help with malnutrition and disease prevention. They are now running weekly ‘Child Friendly Clinics’, which are open to all children under the age of 5. Children are assessed and any problems that are identified, such as anaemia, are treated. Disease prevention is a major focus so all appropriate immunisations, vitamins or de-worming treatments are administered to children. Mothers are given feeding and hygiene advice in accordance with the Baby Friendly Community Initiative. Any child identified as underweight whose families are having difficulty accessing sufficient food are referred to the agriculture team for assessment.