Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA) has applauded an international development partner, Alive & Thrive fhi360, for promoting Maternal, infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) in the state.
The commendation was made by the Executive Chairman of the Agency, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, during a one-day orientation meeting held for media practitioners and social media influencers at the Hazibal Hotel.
He said that there was a need to embrace local solutions to address malnutrition among children under 5 to ensure a bright future.
The Executive Chairman, who was represented by the Director of Disease Control of the Agency, Dahiru Ibrahim, said that Alive and Thrive fhi360 has always been reactive on issues that have to do with Nutrition, even during conditions where Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) was required to treat malnutrition cases.
According to him, “We know RUTF is not a sustainable approach because of the cost attached to it and the number of patients we have, so whatever is donated to us will not go around.”
Rilwanu Mohammed added, “What we need to be doing is ensuring that we engage the communities for them to know the dangers associated with inadequate nutrients, from the mother conceiving to childbirth and, of course, allowing the children to survive and thrive”.
The EC said that by embracing the intake of required nutritional foods produced locally as a replacement for RUTF, mothers and children will live healthy lives.
He also pointed out that local problems are solved locally, adding that waiting for people outside the country to bring solutions to problems in Nigeria will not augur well for society.
“We are the people who know our particular problems, and we should be the ones to solve such problems. What we need to do within ourselves that will work should be done”, he said.
While describing the meeting as a very important one, the EC urged the media practitioners to disseminate the information that revolves around MIYCN to the larger society to stimulate behavioural change.
On his part, Bauchi State Focal Person of the Alive & Thrive fhi360, Asimobi Chidiebere, said that 103,742 Nigerian children can be prevented from dying if they are exclusively breastfed for six months.
According to him, the country can save N11 billion by not patronising breast milk substitutes and using the funds for other developmental purposes.
He then urged media practitioners to use their platforms to engage in promoting issues of nutrition in pregnancy and child growth and development as embodied in the first 1000 days of the child’s life.
Asimobi Chidiebere also assured that media engagement is not a one-time affair but that “engagement and meetings will continue from time to time until the aims and objectives are achieved.”
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