Rose Star Program (RSP)

A Network of Pediatricians to offer Nutrition services among under 5 children

Low rate of dietary diversity and poor hygiene play a critical role for stunting, wasting and underweight children in Bangladesh. According to BDHS 2022, 22% of under 5 year children are stunted (short of their age),11% are wasted (low weight for their height), 22% are underweight (low weight for their age).

To address these issues, SMC took initiative in 2018 to monitor growth of the children by Blue Star providers. SMC included growth monitoring and counseling services in the basic training curriculum and provided height, weight measuring scale and service registers and growth monitoring cards to Blue Star providers. Using this tool, Blue Star providers can detect inadequate growth of a child earlier and restore proper growth in right time. Based on the experience, in 2022, SMC planned to engage pediatricians to offer growth monitoring and nutrition services.

A sensitization meeting was held at Barishal on September 28, 2021 to know the doctors’ interest and to develop a strategy for pediatricians to include growth monitoring as a tool to improve child nutrition status through them. Thereafter, SMC organized orientation and training programs for the Pediatricians.Training curriculum developed following the national guideline of Institute of Public Health Nutrition.

Currently the network has 110 pediatricians covering 15 districts and it is branded as ‘Rose Star network’. The Rose Star program is an initiative to monitor growth of children under 5 and counsel mothers for improving nutritional status of their children.        

                                                                   Major Accomplishments

 (October 2022 to September 2023)

  • In 2023, SMC has engaged 110 pediatricians in Rose Star network
  • In 2023, the network offered growth monitoring services to 5,641 new and 2,624 old children,1,001 cases were found malnourished and counseled accordingly. 
  • SMC has developed electronic reporting system to collect monthly performance report from doctors through Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system
  • The performance report includes number of children (newold & malnourished case) received growth monitoring and counseling services, and total number of malnourished children found


Growth monitoring is an important tool for assessing the nutritional status of a child. Objective of this initiative includes –

  • Engage pediatricians in nutritional service in a structured manner
  • Develop willingness to offer growth monitoring services 
  • Develop counseling skills and provide adequate counseling on proper fooding 
  • Promote micronutrient powder to address iron defficiency anemia among under 5 children 
  • Promote the requirement of Growth Monitoring services among parents and caregivers of under 5 children. 
  • Documentation of services using GMP card/chart 

Doctors are selected based on some criteria for attending training on growth monitoring services. Doctor should be a pediatrician, must have private chamber with a good number of children visiting him in their practice, willing to offer GMP services and has interest in child nutrition improvement initiatives.

To implement the Rose Star program SMC offers following support to the doctors–

  • Orientation on growth monitoring and counseling on nutrition (continuous technical support as required) to the pediatrician and their assistants
  • Install a signboard for branding chamber for the doctors as a centre to offer growth monitoring and other nutrition related services. Provide service delivery materials (weight and height measuring scale, GMP card, client register etc.)
  • Develop and distribute promotional materials (poster, banner, leaflet, brochure etc.) among the network providers
  • Collect monthly report from pediatricians and organize periodical performance review meeting with them to track and improve performance