The Sun
by Alyaa Alhadjri
She complained that currently, aid distribution to the orang asli communities consists only of "welfare aid for hardcore poor" which is very different from "malnutrition aid."
"The Health Ministry has established a clear guideline on aid distribution for malnourished children," she said, adding that so far, all aid delivered to orang asli through the Gombak hospital is categorised as welfare aid and channelled through its welfare department.
The source said a typical malnutrition aid basket should consist of rice, wheat flour, anchovies, milk powder, eggs and grains. The main objective of providing the food basket is to supplement a child's food intake.
"Currently, since there is no malnutrition aid programme in place, the hospital staff try to distribute the rations based on their own discretion (which may not meet the standards)," she said.
She said that hospital staff who visit orang asli villages in the interior are responsible to assess and monitor their healthcare status; including the development of all children below seven years of age.
Based on the Health Ministry's standards, all identified cases of malnutrition need to be recorded in a log book, something which she claimed was not followed due to lack of resources in terms of manpower and equipment.
"There is also a need for co-ordination between the team from Gombak hospital and staff from JHEOA (the Orang Asli Affairs Department) because they are the ones who should have specific data on the population of each orang asli village," she said.
She however noted that there has been several changes undertaken by the hospital's management since early this year, following increased media attention on the issue, but concrete results are yet to be seen.
The high childhood malnutrition rate among orang asli communities is one of the many issues raised by Dr Selvaa Vathany Pillai, former medical-officer at the orang asli hospital in Gombak here, in her report last year.
Selvaa went public with her allegations against the hospital management at a press conference on Feb 11, and was transferred by the Health Ministry to a hospital in Kedah in March.
She was also investigated by the Ministry and subsequently, received a show-cause letter from JHEOA on April 19.
Attempts to get the hospital director to comment on the matter were unsuccessful.
by Alyaa Alhadjri
KUALA LUMPUR (June 21, 2010): Cases of childhood malnutrition among orang asli communities should be treated based on a national standard set by the Health Ministry and practised by all healthcare institutions under its administration.
A source told theSun on Sunday that the orang asli hospital in Gombak, which is under the aegis of Rural and Regional Development Ministry, has "no standard operating procedure" in dealing with childhood malnutrition cases -- leaving staff to take action using their own discretion.
According to the source, among critical areas that need to be addressed include compiling a database of childbirth and mortality rates, establishing a food basket for malnourished children and ensuring that there are enough supplies of items or equipment requested by medical staff.
A source told theSun on Sunday that the orang asli hospital in Gombak, which is under the aegis of Rural and Regional Development Ministry, has "no standard operating procedure" in dealing with childhood malnutrition cases -- leaving staff to take action using their own discretion.
According to the source, among critical areas that need to be addressed include compiling a database of childbirth and mortality rates, establishing a food basket for malnourished children and ensuring that there are enough supplies of items or equipment requested by medical staff.
She complained that currently, aid distribution to the orang asli communities consists only of "welfare aid for hardcore poor" which is very different from "malnutrition aid."
"The Health Ministry has established a clear guideline on aid distribution for malnourished children," she said, adding that so far, all aid delivered to orang asli through the Gombak hospital is categorised as welfare aid and channelled through its welfare department.
The source said a typical malnutrition aid basket should consist of rice, wheat flour, anchovies, milk powder, eggs and grains. The main objective of providing the food basket is to supplement a child's food intake.
"Currently, since there is no malnutrition aid programme in place, the hospital staff try to distribute the rations based on their own discretion (which may not meet the standards)," she said.
She said that hospital staff who visit orang asli villages in the interior are responsible to assess and monitor their healthcare status; including the development of all children below seven years of age.
Based on the Health Ministry's standards, all identified cases of malnutrition need to be recorded in a log book, something which she claimed was not followed due to lack of resources in terms of manpower and equipment.
"There is also a need for co-ordination between the team from Gombak hospital and staff from JHEOA (the Orang Asli Affairs Department) because they are the ones who should have specific data on the population of each orang asli village," she said.
She however noted that there has been several changes undertaken by the hospital's management since early this year, following increased media attention on the issue, but concrete results are yet to be seen.
The high childhood malnutrition rate among orang asli communities is one of the many issues raised by Dr Selvaa Vathany Pillai, former medical-officer at the orang asli hospital in Gombak here, in her report last year.
Selvaa went public with her allegations against the hospital management at a press conference on Feb 11, and was transferred by the Health Ministry to a hospital in Kedah in March.
She was also investigated by the Ministry and subsequently, received a show-cause letter from JHEOA on April 19.
Attempts to get the hospital director to comment on the matter were unsuccessful.
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