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Two weeks after humanitarian aid organisation Unicef released its numbers on child malnutrition in South Africa over the past four years, the National Department of Health has revealed the situation may be far worse.
Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi this week painted a grim picture of child malnutrition in the country. This is despite reporting a drop in the numbers.
According to Motsoaledi, the number of children under five years old whose deaths in public hospitals were associated with moderate acute malnutrition between 2020 and 2023 is 878.
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About 321 of them were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by Gauteng with 161 and Mpumalanga with 97.
In the past four years, 2,951 children’s deaths were associated with severe acute malnutrition in the country.
About 734 were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, 424 in Gauteng, 423 in Eastern Cape and 413 in Limpopo.
This year saw a drop in the numbers.
135 children’s deaths were associated with moderate acute malnutrition. This is compared to 179 children who died in 2023.
KwaZulu-Natal still recorded the highest number at 45, followed by Gauteng at 27 and Mpumalanga at 24.
About 483 children’s deaths were associated with severe acute malnutrition this year, compared to 699 in 2023.
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KwaZulu-Natal still led the pack with 105, followed by Limpopo with 99 and Eastern Cape with 90.
“No child died in a public hospital as a result of starvation during this period,” reads Motsoaledi’s parliamentary response.
The department is working with other sectors including other government departments and non-governmental organisations to ensure that vulnerable families and children can access available social support services, including child support grants.
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“All children under five years old admitted for inpatient care and those attending primary health care facilities in all provinces are routinely assessed and classified for acute malnutrition to facilitate early identification,” said Motsoaledi.
According to the minister, the prevalence of acute malnutrition increased in the post-Covid period.
Although it is declining again, close monitoring and ongoing efforts to ensure further reductions are required, he said.
“Reducing malnutrition in young children requires multiple actions implemented by multiple stakeholders, and it is difficult to measure and attribute success or failure to isolated interventions.”
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