By; ALEX UANGBAOJE, Kaduna
Kaduna State Government on Monday, tasked pregnant women in the state to demand for free Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS), during their antenatal care sessions, when the product is fully available.
Furere Aliyu, Nutrition Focal Person, Kaduna North LGA, who gave the call during a “Town Hall Meeting on The Reduction of Anemia using MMS in Kaduna State”, organized by Civil Society-Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), stated that it is important that women take the supplement as prescribed for their healthy life and that of their children.
MMS, is an approach to improve the quality of nutrition care for mothers and preventing low birth weight.
According, Furere, “Providing women with MMS during pregnancy as part of a comprehensive ANC programme is opportune for accelerating progress towards reducing the risk of low birth weight (LBW), childhood stunting and anaemia in women and helping to move the agenda on women’s and maternal health and nutrition.”
She added that transitioning to MMS from Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) is expected to avert 3.6 million deaths in Nigeria, prevent the deaths of an additional 52,475 children and yield benefits that are 1,054 times greater than the costs.
“Transitioning will leads to significant perinatal health outcomes compared to IFAS with no harm to the mother or baby and it is considered very cost effective according to the WHO guidelines.” Nutrition Focal Person, added.
On his part, Lawal Hayatuddeen, Zonal Director, Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board (SPHCB) Zone 2, disclosed that government is already working to make procurement for the availability of the Supplement.
“Just like other programs of the Primary Care Services, the governor of Kaduna is working to get funds for a bulk purchase of the supplement so it can be sufficiently available for pregnant mothers.
“The Governor has already committed himself to this, very soon MMS is going to be available in all PHCs and even Secondary Healthcare centers because they also provide ANC services.
“Because the supplement is newly introduced by the WHO, what we are doing now is sensitization so that when they are given MMS they won’t be rejecting it because they are already used to IFAS which is now being phased out.
“We are anticipating that the community people will cooperate with support the program for the betterment of pregnant mothers, their children and the rest of us to reduce the high rates of maternal maternity in our communities and the state at large.” He said.
