Health Ministry to fight poor nutrition in hospitals

The Health Ministry has produced an action plan to fight poor nutrition in hospitals and old age homes. Medical surveys indicate that this is a serious problem in the Czech Republic – 40 percent of hospital patients were found to be underfed and 60 percent of people in old age homes were severely undernourished, some on the brink of starvation. The main reason is neglect from staff who serve up food and ignore the fact that an elderly patient is unable to feed themselves. The plan envisages diet nurses who would monitor patients nutrition and make sure they are adequately fed. The problem is also related to the quality of food in Czech hospitals which is frequently not up to standard.