The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and Kano state government have expressed commitment to tackle anaemia in pregnancy in the state.
This was just as the UNICEF, commended commended Kano state Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf for ordering the immediate release of N500 million to procure Ready To Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) for management of severe acute malnutrition among children under the age of five years, adding that UNICEF has pledged to release N500 million as matching grant through the Child Nutritional Fund (CNF).
Making this assertion,the UNICEF Kano Field Office Nutrition Specialist, Oluniyi Oyedokun, disclosed this in his opening remarks during the opening ceremony of a two-day stakeholders inception meeting on scale-up of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) in Kano state, held at Hotel Seventeen, Kaduna state.
Oluniyi, therefore described MMS as, “an essential and effective intervention for anaemia reduction and improved pregnancy outcomes globally”.
“Policy makers should know that MMS is very important. Government should make haste to release funds for the procurement of MMS to save the lives of the pregnant women and the generations unborn.”he said
Oluniyi appealed to all stakeholders to look at the prevention of anaemia in pregnancy holistically, from the perspective of social behavourial change, creating enabling environment for MMS acceptability and intervention, and the needed roles government and policy makers should play in preventing anaemia among pregnant women.
According to him, the MMS scale up project in Kano state is being funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, adding that only five states in Nigeria, including Kano are currently benefiting from the project.
He also appreciated the efforts of Kano state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf and and the Director of Public Health in the Ministry, Dr. Imam Wada Bello, in championing nutrition and other issues concerning the health of women and children in the state.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Labaran Yusuf, who was represented by the acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Alhaji Shehu Sani Shehu, thanked UNICEF and other partners for their prompt intervention to Kano state government, particularly, on issues concerning primary healthcare for children and pregnant women.
According to him, it is important to plan effectively in line with the saying that “when you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.
He expressed his belief that the meeting is important and timely and will help to overcome the challenges of anaemia and malnutrition in Kano state.
He however confirmed that the State Government is committed to releasing N500 million to partner with UNICEF for procurement of RUTF through the Child Nutrition Match Fund.
Speaking at the occasion, the Director-General, Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Dr. Muhammad Nasiru Mahmood, who was represented by the Director of Family Health Services in the Board, Dr. Ahmed Tijjani Habib, said effective MMS intervention will improve reduction in mortality rate among pregnant women.
He commended UNICEF and other development partners for their resilience towards ensuring that Kano benefit substantially from the MMS intervention.
He said he hoped that the objectives of the meeting which include: to share the concept and deliverable of the BMGF funded MMS scale-up project to state level stakeholders in Kano state, will be achieved.
He also listed other objectives of the meeting to include: outlining and agreeing on the roles and responsibilities of partners; identifying enabling environment for leveraging government resources for procurement of MMS; and developing work-plan and agree on modalities of implementation.
While Dr.Imam Wada Bello, in his presentation entitled: “Nutrition Landscape Situation In Kano,” lamented what he described as, “severe acute malnutrition rate among pregnant women and under-five age children in Kano state.
He stated that ” Everything
starts from that woman getting pregnant! Is she malnourished? Is she actually prepared for the pregnancy? Pregnant women ought not to be anaemic. We preach exclusive breastfeeding, but the question is this: where will the nourished milk come from if the nursing mother is anaemic?”
Other presentations made include: Anaemia In Pregnancy And Consequences On Child Malnutrition, by Victoria Usonka of Nutrition International; Scaling Up MMS In Nigeria: Key Intervention For Improved Pregnancy Outcome And Stunting Reduction In Children by representative of UNICEF; Creating Enabling Environment For MMS Implementation In Kano State, by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Kano state.
Other include: The Role Of State And LGA Policy makers On MMS Supplementation In Kano State, by representative of CS-SUNN; MMS Delivery Overview And Expectatooms, by representative of UNICEF; Making A Case For MMS Investmemt, by representative of Alive and Thrive; and The Power Of MMS During Pregnancy, by representative of CS-SUNN.
The Director of Health and Nutrition, Dangote Foundation, Dr. Francis Aminu, who was represented by Abba Usman Mohammed, assured that the Foundation, will play major roles towards supporting the implementation of MMS programme in Kano state.