Bhopal, Oct 22 (IANS) A malnourished four-month-old boy, Hussain Raza’s, death at Satna district hospital has once again raised questions over Madhya Pradesh’s health system, a crisis which refuses to die.

Hussain, who is the latest victim of malnutrition in the state, was hardly two and a half kilograms during his birth, while a healthy child of his age should weigh at least five, according to doctors at Satna district hospital.

A disturbing photograph of the victim surfaced on social media showing Hussain’s skin stretched over bones, sunken eyes, and lips that had long lost their colour.

The heartwrenching video shows a story of neglect that no statistic can soften.

Hussain was born in July this year, and his weight was around 2.5 kg, but as he was suffering from pneumonia, his weight continued to decrease.

He was finally admitted to Satna district hospital on October 18; however, his condition was very critical.

A senior doctor told IANS on Wednesday that Hussain was not administered the mandatory vaccine after the birth.

Satna district health officer Dr S P Srivastava has issued notices to block health officials and sought an explanation for the negligence.

Earlier in August this year, a 15-month-old girl named Divyanshi died in Shivpuri, weighing just 3.7 kilograms. Before that, one-and-a-half-year-old Radhika from Sheopur died at only 2.5 kilograms, even though children her age typically weigh 10 to 11.5 kilograms.

A similar case was reported in July from Bhind, where the family blamed malnutrition for their child’s death. Each incident follows the same pattern, and each time, the blame is settled on “system failure.”

Government data tabled in the Assembly underlined the scale of the crisis. Between 2020 and June 2025, 85,330 children were admitted to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres in tribal development blocks, with annual admissions rising sharply from 11,566 in 2020-21 to 20,741 in 2024-25.

More than one million children in Madhya Pradesh are classified as malnourished, while 1.36 lakh fall under the “severe wasting” category.

In April 2025, the national average for severe and moderate malnutrition among children under five was 5.40 per cent. In Madhya Pradesh, it stood far higher at 7.79 per cent.

Even more alarming, 45 out of 55 districts in the state were in the “red zone” as per central government data from May, where over 20 per cent of children are severely underweight for their age.

On paper, the state spends Rs 980 per child at NRCs, while anganwadis are allocated Rs 8 per day per child, and Rs 12 per day for severely malnourished children. On the ground, however, children continue to slip through the cracks.

–IANS

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