At least Between January 1 and March 18, 59 children under the age of 5 died due to malnutrition and related causes. The most serious case is in Colombia, with 18 cases by the Caribbean department of La Guajira, the Ombudsman’s Office reported this Friday.
“The nutritional situation in early childhood in the country is a serious and persistent violation of human rights in 2023, particularly in La Guajira,” said Ombudsman Carlos Camargo. We cannot stay in a fuss and children continue to die from malnutrition and related causes, absolutely preventable diseases,” he added. That’s why he called on the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF), responsible for child and adolescent issues in La Guajira, and the National Health Inspectorate to “protect children”.
a serious problem
So far this year, according to figures from the National Institute of Health (INS), collected by the Office of the Ombudsman. 4,474 cases of acute malnutrition376 of them occur in La Guajira. “We ask the ICBF to report what emergency or contingency actions have been developed in La Guajira to stop this increase and how many beneficiaries have been served through early childhood malnutrition prevention and care programs,” Camargo said. said.
Furthermore, of the 1,814 cases reported for moderate to severe acute malnutrition in children under 5 years of age in 2022, Corresponds to 75.7% indigenous population. “We ask SuperSalud, within the control, inspection and oversight functions of the General System of Social Security in Health, to take the necessary actions to ensure that attention is paid to the needs of users who need comprehensive care management acute, moderate and severe malnutrition,” he added.
The Ombudsman reminded that the organization he manages has issued warnings that it sees the need for “inter-agency work to prevent malnutrition-related illnesses and deaths in children under the age of 5 across the country”.
According to the National Institute of Health (INS), Colombia had 21,337 cases of acute malnutrition in children under the age of 5 last year, and also reported that a total of 308 children under the age of 5 died from malnutrition. La Guajira and Choco.