A coalition of CSOs and Media practitioners in Bauchi state under the aegis of Network against Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM Network) have raised alarm over imminent chain break in the treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in under-five children in some of the centres designated for such treatment across the state following an out of stock situation of RUTF needed for treatment of malnutrition calling on the state government to as a matter of urgency take steps to curb the situation which if allowed to happen may lead to deaths of the victims.
The alarm was raised Thursday when the group paid an on the spot assessment to Lubai community in Dambam Local Government Area of Bauchi where it was discovered that the centre has run out of stock of RUTF.
While addressing newsmen at the CMAM centre, one of the Team Lead on the visit, who is also the Executive Director of a Bauchi based NGO- ASHH Foundation, Mrs Comfort Attah, said that the team was in the site to ascertain the level of the break in the treatment of SAM as a result of out of stock situation of Ready to Use Theraupathic Food (RUTF), that is mainly used for the treatment of SAM.
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She lamented that “You can see the volume of clients that are here with their under-five children trying to access the RUTF, but unfortunately, they are going back empty-handed due to the stock out. We just hope that the State Government will do the needful so that it could not degenerate into what the State experienced last year when the stock out period stretched to about five months. During that period, there were a lot of casualties in the deaths of under-five children that were suffering from severe acute malnutrition”.
In the same vein, while expressing its own concern over the situation, Bauchi based Civil Society Organisation, Aid Connect for Development shortly after visiting the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) site in Lubai community of Dambam LGA of Bauchi State described the situation as very pathetic.
While speaking to media representatives on the team on the outcome of the assessment visit, Executive Director of the NGO in Bauchi, Mrs Abigail Hardo described the situation at the CMAM sites as sympathetic.
She lamented that “The non-availability of RUTF in Bauchi State could escalate the already high mortality rate of children in the state. Because Severe Acute Malnutrition is another silent child killer disease that is quietly taking the lives of under-five children if not treated on time”.
Abigail Hardo added, “Over time, RUTF is proven to be the most effective way for the treatment of severe malnutrition in children. When administered consistently, a malnourished child regains health in less than five weeks. So, you can imagine the anguish the non-availability of the RUTF could cause to parents of the afflicted children”.
While appealing to Bauchi State Government to rise to the occasion by doing everything possible to ensure regular supply of the RUTF to all the CMAM centres across the state, Mrs Hardo advised the parents to device some ways of preparing local food like beans, groundnuts, moringa and soya beans as an alternative before regular supply of RUTF resumes.
Also Speaking to the team on the visit, Dambam Nutrition Focal person, Waziri Ayuba said that he hoped that by next week, regular supply of RUTF would resume.
A disappointed looking client with her baby, Adama Abubakar who spoke to our correspondent also reacted on the stock out of the RUTF at the site, describing it as disturbing.
Adama Abubakar, who seems to be speaking the minds of the over sixty disappointed clients said further, “we just don’t know what is happening. This was how it started last year and it stretched to about six months without the RUTF and just when we thought we are over that and now this.
All the clients at the Lubai CMAM sites were unanimous in their appeal to Bauchi State government to ensure regular supply of the RUTF to help their children to regain their health.
In his reaction on the out-of-Stock situation, in a telephone conversation, Bauchi State Nutrition officer, Mallam Hamza Yahaya Sade said that it is true that some LGAs are experiencing a break in the supply of RUTF saying, “as it is we have only 100 cartons remaining in the entire state. I have written to relevant authority some weeks back alerting on the impending stock out and I believe something will be done about it, but for now, we have run of RUTF in the State”.
Our correspondent reports that last year the state witnessed the non-availability of the RUTF for about Six months, a situation that led to the death of over 70 children, particularly in the rural communities.
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