Include protein for diarrhoea patients

Health rights activits ask ICDDR,B

25 November 2011, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Excluding protein from diarrhoea patients' diet renders treatment of the disease incomplete and exposes patients, especially children, to numerous health risks resulting from malnutrition, speakers said at a roundtable yesterday. Health Rights Movement National Committee (HRMNC) organised the roundtable on "Role of protein in cholera and diarrhea treatment" at Dhaka Reporters' Unity to protest the decision of ICDDR,B, popularly known as cholera hospital, to exclude protein from the diet of its patients unless it is prescribed by doctors. "Rehydration is the main stay in the treating diarrhoea, but the treatment would be incomplete if there is no protein in the patient's diet as diarrhoea causes loss of serum protein, immune factors and micronutrients," said former chief physician of ICDDR,B Dr. Shahadat Hossain as he presented a scientific paper on nutritional management in acute diarrhoea. On September 6, ICDDR,B notified all its staff members that to maintain cost, no fish, mutton, chicken and egg will be included in its patients' diet unless prescribed by doctors. The scientific paper quoted an ICDDR,B research to focus on effective feeding for diarrhoea patients. The research showed Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) along with protein based diet reduces diarrhoea faster than with only ORT. HRMNC President Dr Rashid-E Mahbub threatened to launch tougher movement if ICDDR,B does not re-evaluate the decision and reinstate protein in the patients diet soon. "Excluding protein from the diet of diarrhoea patient means you are releasing patient from hospital without proper treatment," Mahbub said, adding that they only took the decision for sake of money.