The document discusses the Under Five Clinic program established by the Department of Health to address high mortality and morbidity among children under five years old. The program aims to provide comprehensive healthcare services including monitoring growth and development, identifying hindering factors, and offering preventive, promotive, curative and referral services through trained nurses at sub-centers and primary health centers. Key services include regular height and weight monitoring, immunizations, vitamin supplementation, deworming, health education, and treatment of common illnesses like diarrhea and respiratory infections. The goal is to provide affordable healthcare to improve nutrition, development and overall health of young children.

1. Under five clinic
Ms. Ekta Upadhyay
m.sc.(n) ist year

2. Introduction
The first five years of life form the
foundations of the child’s physical and
mental growth and development.
The mortality and morbidity are
high among this age group. The
Department of Health established the
Under Five Clinic Program to address
this problem.

3. Program Objectives and Goals
 Monitor growth and development of the child until 5
years of age.
 Identify factors that may hinder the growth and
development of the child.
 Preventive, primitive , curative, referral, educational
services in a package-one roof
 Services through: trained nurses-economical,
available to large proportion of population
 Non-medical person: example of primary health care
 Sub-center, primary health center: one afternoon
every week.

4. Importance of under five clinic
 15% of population
 Nutritionally vulnerable
 Human resource of future
 Needed for progress of
country

5. Aim:- comprehensive health care to under fives: non-medical
person, economical way.
Activities and Strategies
 Regular height and weight determination/ monitoring until 5
years old.
0-1 year old=monthly 1 year old and above =quarterly
 Recording of immunization, vitamins supplementation,
deworming and feeding.
 Provision of IEC materials (ex. Posters, charts, and toys) that
promote and enhance child’s proper growth and development.
 Provision of a safe and learning – oriented environment for the
child.
 Monitoring and Evaluation.

7. Function of under five clinics
 6 triangles: 2 large, 4 small
 Small triangle: curative services: care in illness
 Common health problems: diarrhea, respiratory
problems
 Not improve: Medical Officer
 Promotive: growth monitoring, health check up
 Preventive: immunization, vitamin A, IFA
 Central inverted : family planning
 Outer small triangle: margin of all 4 triangles
 Outer large triangle: health education

8. Care in illness
 Children are treated for acute and chronic illness and
ailment of growth and development at these clinics.
 Nurses are playing important role in taking care of sick
children. Care in illness is the felt need for child for which
any child brings to the clinics.
 The usual illness encountered in the children under five is
fever, diarrhea, ARI, infection of the skin, and
helminthiasis.
 The facility should provide for the investigation and x-ray
facilities.
 The clinic should be backed on the effective referral
mechanism.

9. Growth monitoring
This the one of the most important functioning of
the clinic , child weight periodical every two
month from 1 to 3 year of age , and every three
month in 4th and 5th year. Besides weighting,
measuring mid arm can also be carried out
depending upon the availability of trained
manpower and equipment. The growth is plotted
on growth chart and any faltering in the growth is
detected and suitable action initiated. The mile
stone are also recorded without any delayed.

10. • Family planning:-
Family planning is central to any programme for
women and children the mothers are more
respective to family planning during early
puerperium and lactation. The mother is
counseled on the various options available, their
merits and demerits so they can make choice.
• Health education :-
The opportunity should be made use of to educate
the mother on issue of child care, breastfeeding,
nutrition, growth monitoring, and immunization
and hygienic of safe water and food preparation.

11. Preventive care
Preventive care includes all the aspects which
prevent the disease. This involve primarily the
immunization services during the first five year
of life against different diseases, vitamin. A
supplementation and antihelminthic treatment to
prevent anemia. The preventive care also
provides for regular health check up and use of
ORS during diarrhea to prevent dehydration
form developing.