Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
Following the intervention of European Union (EU- UNICEF) on Maternal, New – Born, Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN), the Miri PHC’s Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) centre has received influx of children from neighboring states of Plateau, Nasarawa and Jigawa due to availability of the Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) which is out of stock in other places.
Speaking to THISDAY, who was on an assessment visit to the facility, the Manager of Primary Health Care(PHC), Miri in Bauchi Local Government Area, Nasiru Dauda Jika, said the centre established in August 2017 has admitted about 3,037 clients.
Jika emphasised that “because of the commitment of the EU-UNICEF in collaboration with the state government, we have been receiving the Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTH) on a regular basis, and have so far registered about 3,037 clients up to date out of which 870 have been cured and discharged.”
According to him, “Since the beginning of this EU-UNICEF intervention, couple with the collaboration with the state government, the programme has recorded tremendous success. We have huge turnout of clients from within this ward and across the state, and even from other states of Plateau, Nasarawa and Jigawa, among others because of the availability of RUTH in this CMAM centre.”
Jika further stated that EU-UNICEF intervention has provided peanuts to all the CMAM local government areas and centres that are having the intervention, which has helped a lot in reducing drastically the number of malnourished children
The PHC manager, who stated that UNICEF can only support and provide interventions to help shore up the health status of children and women in intervening states, appealed that the states too have to take the bulk responsibilities and ensure sustainability.
“In the case of maternal and child mortality and morbidity, the figure has reduced drastically compared to the last four to five years-to 25 – 30 of what we have before. This is because the intervention actually imparted positively to the health-being and wellbeing of our communities,” he stated.
Speaking on behalf of the mothers in the CMAM centre, Nahima Muhammed from Dindima and Amina Yunusa said their babies were becoming stronger and healthier due to uninterrupted use of RUTF for four weeks.
They both commended the state government and EU-UNICEF for their contributions towards ensuring that babies were fed with nutritional food that makes them grow healthy.
