KDSG urges pregnant women to demand free supplements

The Kaduna State Government has urged the pregnant women in the state to always demand for free Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS), during their antenatal care sessions.

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The Nutrition Focal Person of Kaduna North Local Government Area, Furera Aliyu, made the call at a town hall meeting on the reduction of anaemia using MMS. The meeting was organised by an NGO, Civil Society-Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN).

Aliyu stated that it was important that women take the supplement as prescribed for their healthy life and that of their children.

According to her, providing women with MMS during pregnancy is part of a comprehensive antenatal care programme.

This is to accelerate progress towards reducing the risk of low birth weight, childhood stunting and anaemia in women and helping to move their agenda and maternal health and nutrition.

MMS is an approach to improve the quality of nutrition care for mothers and prevent low birth weight.

She added that, “Transitioning to MMS from Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) was expected to avert 3.6 million deaths in Nigeria.

“This will lead to the prevention of the deaths of an additional 52,475 children and yield benefits that are 1,054 times greater than the costs.

“Transitioning will lead to significant perinatal health outcomes compared to IFAS with no harm to the mother or baby.

“It is considered very cost effective, according to the WHO guidelines,” she added.

On his part, Lawal Hayatuddeen, the Zonal Director, Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board (SPHCB) Zone 2, disclosed that the government was already working to procure more supplements.

He said that the state government was striving to get more funds for a bulk purchase of the supplements, so it could be sufficiently available for pregnant mothers.