Due to pandemic, underprivileged children in Delhi unable to get nutrition and health services

As a result of the pandemic, underprivileged children in Delhi do not have access to much-needed nutrition and health services. Many of them are dependent on NGOs for aid.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and consecutive lockdowns, underprivileged children in Delhi are unable to access much-needed nutrition and health services. This includes routine immunization, treatment for illnesses including oral rehydration solution for diarrhoea and antibiotics for pneumonia, mid-day meals and so on. “There is a severe disruption in the delivery of public health and nutrition services, which are the main channels for these children. In addition, the prolonged closure of schools has brought the education of 320 million children to a halt. We must remember that schools are not just for learning, but also places where children socialise, develop emotionally and, for some, find a refuge from troubled family life,” said Jatin Mondar, deputy director of programme management at the non-governmental organization Save The Children. He claimed that, globally, one in seven children’s mental health and well-being is at risk due to pandemic-induced lockdowns.