The purpose <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of</span> this Operational Guideline is to support state <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">health</span> authorities, programme managers and <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">health</span> care professionals with recommendations on appropriate management <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of</span> children with SAM in the <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">health</span> facilities. Facility based management includes setting up and managing within the <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">health</span> facility premises, a functional space where these children are cared for. This Facility Based Unit is referred to as Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre or NRC in the document. While the scale and design may vary in a given situation, it is intended that the document provide the basis for a consistent set <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of</span> principles that can be used by all states for facility based management <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of</span> children with SAM. The Operational Guideline focuses on the Facility/Hospital based approach for the management <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of</span> SAM children under 5 years <span class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of</span> age based on the WHO and revised IAP protocols.