Diet consultants and advocates in Lagos have urged the state authorities to prioritize funding for diet initiatives and develop the availability of A number of Micronutrient Dietary supplements (MMS) as a crucial measure to fight malnutrition and anaemia amongst pregnant ladies within the state.
The United Nations Kids’s Fund (UNICEF) has pledged to assist state governments in procuring and distributing MMS, a confirmed intervention to cut back anaemia charges. Nevertheless, this assist hinges on a counterpart funding dedication, with states required to contribute as little as N100,000 to entry UNICEF’s backing.
Stakeholders have appealed to the Lagos state authorities to satisfy this funding requirement. This name was outlined in a communiqué issued throughout a in the future coverage dialogue on the uptake of MMS to forestall anaemia, hosted by the Lagos State Committee on Meals and Diet in collaboration with the Civil Society Scaling-Up Diet in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), in Lagos. Signatories included senior diet officer, Lagos State Ministry of Well being, Mrs Taiwo Fadairo; CEO/govt director at Well being Consciousness and Gender Advocacy Initiative (HAGAI), Hon. Adebayo Azeez Aladeyelu; the assistant secretary of the Christian Affiliation of Nigeria in Lagos State, Pastor Dr. Dickson Dele Asaaju; Lagos state coordinator, Alive & Thrive Venture, Olawumi Ajayi; nationwide coordinator of the Media Centre In opposition to Baby Malnutrition (MeCAM Nigeria), Mr. Remmy Nweke; secretary, Civil Society – Scaling Up Diet in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) Lagos, Woman Vicky Onyekuru and the president, Medical Girls Affiliation of Nigeria, Lagos, Dr. Funmi Ige, amongst others.
The coverage dialogue, hosted by the Lagos state committee on Meals and Diet in collaboration with CS-SUNN, highlighted alarming malnutrition statistics. The Nigeria Demographic and Well being Survey (NDHS) 2023 revealed that 40 p.c of kids underneath 5 in Nigeria are stunted—a rise from 37 p.c in 2023. In Lagos, stunting impacts 17.3 p.c of kids, losing six p.c, and underweight 14.3 p.c.
MMS are important in addressing deficiencies in important nutritional vitamins and minerals, stakeholders famous. The United Nations Worldwide A number of Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation (UNIMMAP MMS) incorporates 15 crucial vitamins, together with nutritional vitamins A, B1–B12, C, D, E, folate, and minerals like iron, iodine, zinc, and selenium. These vitamins are particularly formulated to satisfy the wants of pregnant ladies, selling maternal well being and fetal growth. Research point out that MMS reduces anaemia prevalence, strengthens immune capabilities, and improves delivery outcomes by enhancing delivery weights and reducing preterm supply dangers. MMS can be acknowledged globally as an economical technique to fight malnutrition, complementing meals safety and dietary variety initiatives.
To deal with the rising charges of malnutrition and anaemia, stakeholders introduced a number of key suggestions, together with elevated funding, calling on the Lagos state authorities to allocate counterpart funding for MMS procurement, leveraging donor assist and urging CS-SUNN and different companions to comply with up to make sure the discharge of the $100,000 permitted by the State Governor for diet commodities.
Stakeholders additionally referred to as on the federal government to fast-track the procurement of MMS, Prepared-to-Use Therapeutic Meals (RUTF), Prepared-to-Use Supplementary Meals (RUSF), Micronutrient Powder (MNP) for youngsters underneath 5, and Small Amount-Lipid Based mostly Dietary supplements (SQ-LNS); leverage social media to disseminate correct details about MMS to youthful pregnant and breastfeeding ladies and arrange a taskforce to trace and monitor the distribution, uptake, and protection of MMS, with common scorecards to guage progress. Journalists had been urged to amplify MMS advocacy by persistently reporting on its significance to attract policymakers’ consideration.
By addressing these challenges, Lagos can obtain important progress in decreasing maternal and neonatal mortality, bettering group well-being, and making certain a more healthy future for the state, stakeholders affirmed.
