Outpatient Therapeutic Programme for Malnourished Children
Yousef M. Alflah *
Epidemiologist, Kuwait University Hospital, Sana’a University, Yemen.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Outpatient therapeutic programme (OTP) is one of the approaches of community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), which includes community engagement and mobilization for outpatient management of uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM) children 6–59 months with good appetite, by providing them by home-based treatment as Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and routine medical treatment. Around 85-90% of children with SAM are successfully treated at home in OTP, by attending regular intervals until they recover. OTP is currently used to achieve rapid recovery from SAM, it provides services of SAM management closer to the community at primary health care centers, where uncomplicated SAM children receive different amount of RUTF as Plumpy'Nut sachets according to their body weight.
Keywords: Outpatient therapeutic programme, severe acute malnutrition, ready-to-use therapeutic food