By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
World Health Organisation (WHO) has distributed 60 Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) kits components to six partnering non governmental organisations (NGOs) in Borno State yesterday for management of severe acute malnutrition in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states which was observed by WHO to be on the high side.
The WHO Emergency Manager in.charge of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, Beatrice Muraguri disclosed this to newsmen in Maiduguri during the distribution of the items to the partners at Borno Warehouse located at Maiduguri Flour Mills Limited area yesterday.
According to her, eleven Local Government Areas of Borno State are affected out of the 27 LGAs of the state, namely, MMC, Jere, Bama, Konduga, Gwoza, Askira/Uba, Monguno, Damboa, Gunio, Mobbar and Kaga where in collaboration with the six partners a SAM kit will be administered to 100 children totalling 6,000 kids suffering g from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
She added that the SAM kits were procured or funded by USAID and the German Government for the WHO to distribute to the partners, namely, FHI360, Intersos. IMC, IRC, Action Against Hunger and PUI.
Beatrice maintained that ,’WHO is however coordinating all the partners who are responding in health and malnutrition which has been part of our response, not just malnutrition, but severe acute malnutrition”.
“For WHO we take it up when moderate malnutrition. acute malnutrition is responded to by WFP. UNICEF also respond to severe acute malnutrition but when it comes to the admission of these patients, that is where WHO comes in and we have to ensure that these partners that we have , have the capacity to manage the cases, not just that .
“Also to ensure that we have the kids attended so that we end up with these beneficiaries. The children to benefit from these kits So, the issue of malnutrition in the Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) States is addressed.
“There was an analysis done last year. And that is why this procurement of this kits is done. So, we have specific LGAs where we have acute malnutrition cases which are very high and also in stabilisation centres.
“So, we learned. For us, the closer the agency, , we manage the pipeline as WHO so that we share with partners and then they go to the grounds, the LGAs to ensure that they get these cases and these cases are managed.
“So, that is why we are handing over to the state government today these items. And as for partner to the government , we are there to support the government. We can never replace the government that is why the government has to be here. We hand over to them and then they hand over the kids today to the partners who are all stakeholders in malnutrition.They are also fighting malnutrition cases here,” Beatrice said.
” We have Borno, Adamawa and Yine Statea.. Out of the many LGAs ,we have one kid is supposed to cater for 100 patients. So, given the number of LGAs I think the retention department work with the partners to come up with those figures.
” Because we know this one. The information we use was last year but you know the cases could have increased for this year. So we really need to work with the government or the grassroots level to ensure that the state nutrition department they are also involved so that they will give us the numbers given to us as the guidance because the situation has changed from last year.
“So there are many other partners which may not be here but we also have local NGOs who are also part of this and they will also benefit from these kids so that we ensure that we are reaching to the beneficiaries who are supposed to be treated using these kits. This is what was the trigger.
“The kits are a combination of many, many, many, a lot of things inside . So , it is an assorted kit. So, as I said, the number may not be the number specific now. We used last year statistics which is different from this year.
“So I believe you get from the Ministry also or from the nutrition department. Because really we are looking at controlling the issue because you see when it is not prevented. When It is not controlled. It will always be case coming out to no help and that is why we have all these malnourished students ending up in stabilisation.The level is high, the level is high.
“The Percentage now is uncertain but it’s high given that you can see what is happening in the infant for the security and we are also expecting the case to go high with these kits given. You that now you see the issues of their attacks to children on the extreme end of affecting them coming up with a malnutrition issue,” The Emergency Manager added.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Borno State Ministry of Health, Mohammed Aminu Ghuluze appreciated WHO for their donation and commended the partners for administering the severe acute malnutrition kits while assuring proper and strict monitoring of the usage and distribution of the kits to avoid diversion and sales in the market by the parents and guardians of the children as obtained in the past where items given to IDPs children are found on sale in the markets.
Represented by Pharmacy Adamu Usman of the State Ministry of Health, he said measures have been put in place already to ensure judicious use of the kits who are the beneficiaries while stressing that, anybody found wanting will be dealt accordingly.
Highlights of the events include presentation and distribution of the SAM kits to Borno state partners and group photographs.
