By Asma’u Ahmad
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it has spent N300 million on Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), for the treatment of 28, 000 severely malnourished children in Bauchi state.
Chief of UNICEF Field office in the state, Dr. Abdullahi Kaikai disclosed this at the flag off ceremony of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) week held in Bauchi, adding that the intervention began in 2011.
According to him, the lives of 5,400 children have been saved since the inception of Community base Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) in the state.
Dr. Kaikai said that in this round of MNCH week, UNICEF has supported the state government with 2, 571 bottles of vitamin blue and red capsules worth N6.5 million to be given to children during the week.
He said: “UNICEF has also extended direct cash assistance to the state government worth N13, 806, 800 through the Ministry of Health. This funding support is for social mobilisation, refresher training of
health facility workers, monitoring and supervision and the state review meeting after MNCHW implementation.”
Also speaking, Wife of the state Governor, Hajiya Hadiza Abubakar, advised pregnant women to utilise the available local grains and vegetables that would be a source of nutrients and blood to them.
Media men reported that about 1,292 primary healthcare facilities across the state would be used for the week.
