FG spends N1.8bn on prevention, treatment of malnutrition in 18 States

FEDERAL Ministry of Health, says it has disbursed over N1.8 billion for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition in 18 States in the last two years.

Dr Chris Isokpunwu, Head Nutrition Division, who made this disclosure in an interview, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, noted that the fund was disbursed between 2017 and 2018.

Isokpunwu said in 2017, the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UNICEF for the counterpart contribution for the procurement of Ready to use Therapeutic Food (RU1TF).

“Between that 2017 and now, the ministry has contributed and disbursed about N1.8billion as counterpart contribution for the procurement of the commodity.

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“The first payment was N600 million from the 2017 appropriation, the money was used to set up treatment centres, training of health workers and distribution of the RUTF in Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Osun, Bauchi and the Federal Capital Territory.

“12,000 cartons of the commodity were also distributed in the five states and the FCT,’’ he said.

Isokpunwu said that in the 2018 appropriation, the Federal Government disbursed N1.2 billion to UNICEF based on the MoU to procure RUTF.

He added that the ministry was now in the process of distributing the commodity to 12 additional states.

He said the commodity procured under the 2018 appropriation would support the earlier five states and the FCT.

He explained that the ministry identified 18 states with a high burden of Severe Acute Malnutrition and wrote letters to the states for expression of interest to address the challenge.

Isokpunwu, however, said that of the 18 states with a high burden of the challenge, only 12 states responded and the ministry was already working on modalities for the distribution of the commodity to the states.

He said the ministry was working with UNICEF and other key players in the prevention of malnutrition in the country.

He, however, expressed concern that not many states were committed to working on preventing malnutrition and procurement of RUTF in Nigeria.