LFHC Contributes to UNICEF-Led Nationwide Malnutrition Initiative in Preparation for Upcoming 2025 Laos Malnutrition Guidelines

It’s not enough to just treat children who are already victims of acute malnutrition, says UNICEF Laos. More needs to be done. Much more.

Three staff from LFHC recently participated in an intensive, five-day malnutrition training workshop organised by UNICEF Laos’ Roderick Labicane, a former LFHC Director of Nursing Education. He is now UNICEF International Consultant on Nutrition-Specific Intervention. He is focused on putting in place the 2025 Laos Malnutrition Management Guidelines, which will have some significant changes from the previous 2018 standard.

The LFHC participants were Ms Toun, Nutritional Manager; Dr. Mailor; and Nurse Maiyang, the hospital’s champions when it comes to fighting malnutrition in Laos, where it’s still a terrible problem affecting an unacceptable number of children. Nearly one in three Laotian children under age five suffer from stunted growth, and nearly a quarter of the kids are underweight for their age; 11 percent of kids are wasting, or too thin for their age. All that is the result of food insecurity, poor child feeding practices, plus limited access to nutrition-rich foods, especially in rural and impoverished areas of Laos.

The workshop is geared to align the medical care community with the new UNICEF guidelines and to equip professionals (including LFHC staff) with the knowledge to train health workers in other provinces. Roderick says the new guidelines focus on early identification and prevention, particularly among children under six months old, who previously were not included in routine screenings. He added that Laos is among the first countries to adopt the WHO’s 2023 International recommendations into national practice, and that Laos, as a country, should be proud of that.

LFHC is continuing to play a crucial role in shaping these updated protocols with UNICEF. Our team is sharing their insights into the real challenges faced in both the hospital and surrounding communities, identifying which parts of the current framework need to be updated. Their first-hand experience helped ensure the new guideline is both relevant and practical.

Tackling the root causes of malnutrition and providing a sustainable approach

LFHC stands at the forefront of addressing Laos’ ongoing malnutrition crisis and also runs a project of its own to help fight malnutrition in the country. The “It Takes a Village” program sees our Malnutrition Prevention Team traveling to remote communities, working directly with families to assess their nutrition challenges and develop solutions, with a particular focus on the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life. They also train healthcare professionals in the acute management of malnutrition as well as its prevention.

As a hospital, LFHC is uniquely placed to detect, treat, and help prevent malnutrition. "LFHC is well-positioned to be the primary support center for malnutrition management in Northern Laos”, says Roderick. “Their facilities and the expertise of their staff make them an ideal training and treatment hub for healthcare workers across the country”.

The next Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) workshop with UNICEF is scheduled on May 19, 2025, and will be held on-site at LFHC, led by our malnutrition team.