MNCH week: FHI 360 – Alive & Thrive sensitizes LGA stakeholders on MMS

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Kaduna State Primary Health Care Development Board (KSPHCDB) with support from UNICEF and Alive & Thrive yesterday conducted a Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) week’s orientation for stakeholders across the 23 LGAs in the State.
During the meeting, A&T sensitized the LGA stakeholders consisting of Health Secretaries and nutrition Focal Persons NFPs, HMISOs, and M&EOs on what is Multiple Micronutrient Supplements ( MMS) and why micronutrient supplementation is recommended.
In her presentation, the A&T State Team Lead, Sarah Didi Kwasu, explained that the majority of micronutrients are increased during pregnancy and many pregnant women do not meet their dietary requirements through food alone.
This according to her can have negative consequences on their health and the health of their baby. Therefore, to fulfill their nutritional requirements, pregnant women are advised to consume a balanced, nutritious diet, in addition to daily adequate micronutrient supplementation.
A&T therefore tasked stakeholders at the training to support the promotion, uptake, and utilization of MMS in Kaduna State by creating demand through community mobilization, supporting the capacity building of healthcare care providers for effective service delivery, supporting proper documentation of appropriate indicators into the NHMIS tools and pushing the agenda at every opportunity, talk about it, get state and LGA structures conscious of MMS.
In her remarks In her remarks Kaduna State Nutrition Officer (SNO), Ramatu Haruna, said the KDSPHCDB, has a good plan for the state, especially for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children of 0-59 months.
She said that the MNCH week which is scheduled to start from 10 to 14 of June in the state, was aimed at ensuring that there is service delivery and universal coverage across the state within the five days intervention.
Also, the UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Kaduna Field Office, Chinwe Ezeife, said the MNCH week allows them to catch up with the children, thereby allowing them to immunize eligible children.

She added that the week also allows the children to be given vitamin A supplementation, de-worming, birth registration, and child spacing interventions.

Ezeife equally said they used the opportunity for HIV counseling and testing, key household practices promoting health, such as basic hygiene and food demonstration, and antenatal care for women in need.

Restating UNICEF’s commitment to the improvement of the nutritional status of women and children, she said it was why they support the MNCH week with many things such as health and nutrition supplies.

She added that UNICEF also provides funding and technical support.

Speaking further, the specialist disclosed that UNICEF would be supporting the Kaduna State Government with Multiple Micronutrients Supplement (MMS) meant for pregnant women, in place of Iron Folic Acid (IFA).