Malnutrition: Bauchi health agency, applauds Alive & Thrive, recommends local solution

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Samuel Luka, Bauchi

Bauchi state Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA) has applauded a Non-Governmental Organization known as Alive & Thrive (A&T) for engaging in activities that promote Maternal, Infant and Young Children Nutrition (MIYCN) in the state.

The Director Disease control of the Agency, Alhaji Dahiru Ibrahim who made the commendation during a one day orientation meeting held for media practitioners at the Hazibal hotel on Thursday, said there was the need to embrace local solution to address malnutrition.

The Director who represented the Executive Chairman of the Agency, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, said Alive and Thrive has always been reactive on issues that have to do with Nutrition, even during conditions that Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is required to treat malnutrition cases.

“We know RUTF is not a sustainable approach because of the cost attached to it and the number of patients we have that whatever is donated to us will not go round”, the Director said.

“What we need to be doing is to ensure that we engage the communities for them to know the dangers of associated with inadequate nutrients, from the mother conceiving, child birth and of course allowing the children to survive and thrive”, he added.

The Director who said by embracing the intake of required nutritional food produced locally as replacement for RUTF, mothers and children will live a healthy live.

The Director pointed out that local problems are solve locally, adding that waiting for people outside the country to be bringing solution to problems in Nigeria will not augur well for the society.

“We are the people that know our particular problems and we should be the ones to solve such problems. What we need to do within ourselves that will work should be done”, he said.

While describing the meeting as a very important one, the Director urged the media practitioners to disseminate the information that revolves around MIYCN to the larger society to stimulate behavioral change.

On his part, Bauchi state Focal Person of the NGO, Asimobi Chidiebere said 103,742 Nigerian children can be prevented from dying if they are exclusively breastfed for six months.

According to him, the country can save 11 billion Naira by not patronizing breast milk substitute and use the funds for other developmental purposes.