Bauchi Govt assures availability of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements for pregnant women
By Samuel Luka, Bauchi
In an effort to fight the scourge of anaemia and other preventable killer diseases among the pregnant women, Bauchi state government has pledged to make Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) available for usage across 20 local government areas of the state.
Dr. Adamu Umar Sambo, State Commissioner for Health, gave the assurance during an inception meeting to scale up Multiple Micronutrients Supplements (MMS) project for pregnant women in Bauchi state on Tuesday.
He informed that the MMS is one of the vital Maternal supplements that improve maternal nutrition throughout the pregnancy period, adding that, it also improve good pregnancy outcome.
The Commissioner who pledged government’s commitment to ensuring every mother have access to the MMS and other healthcare services, reaffirmed the readiness of government to improving maternal and child health outcomes.
Dr. Abubakar who disclosed that the state government received 134,280 bottles of the MMS through the State primary Health Care Board (BSPHCDB) for the scale up, pointed out that a lot is been done to curb maternal deaths from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
The commissioner explained that the State Government has continued to bridge so many gaps by increasing funding for health programmes, adequate drugs supplies, recruitment of skilled health personnel, among others.
Dr. Abubakar further maintained that such initiatives have brought significant improvement to healthcare delivery in the state, saying, as leaders and stakeholders, they are duty bound to prioritize maternal and child health, invest in healthcare infrastructure, strengthen health systems and ensure that no mother, newborn, or child is left behind.
Also speaking, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), through its Nutrition Specialist in Bauchi, Philomena Irene, promised to work with the Bauchi state government to ensure that Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) is included in the annual state procurement Plan.
She said that the UNICEF will also work towards ensuring that funds are released through the Child Nutrition Fund for the procurement of the MMS.
Our Correspondent reports that the meeting was organized by the Bauchi state government in collaboration with UNICEF and Alive and Thrive under the funding by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
On her part, the Bauchi state Coordinator, Nutrition International, Mrs. Asabe Lekwot, appealed for the safe keeping of the MMS as well as its accessibility to the pregnant women in the state.