It has been observed that the situation of nutrition in Bauchi state is not that encouraging, just as it applies to all states of the federation in spite of the importance of nutrition in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The assertion was made by the Director of Disease Control and Immunization of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BASPHCDA), Dahiru Ibrahim Mahmud, while Fielding questions from Journalists in Azare.
He, however, said, “We have support from various partners that are supporting us. Initially, the IRCS groups were formed across the LGAs, which support mobilising the communities to ensure that indices around wasting and what have you were addressed.”
According to him,”Of recent, Alive and Thrive fhi360 came in with its own support, they were able to develop some IEC materials which happen to be part of that activity.”
“After that, they stepped down training to our healthcare workers on ensuring that our data tools are being properly used, especially the nutrition data tools,” he added.
Ibrahim Mahmoud however said that, “One of the major challenges we have at the lower level, is the issue of using the growth monitoring tools which are adequately capturing activities around nutrition intervention at the facilities level.”
He stressed that “When Alive and Thrive came in, they were able to awaken us concerning issues around maternal, infant and young children nutrition (MICYN). As you can see now, we are trying to develop documents around MICYN , policies, guidelines and what have you.”
According to him, “This will go a long way in terms of having policies around the implementation of activities around a certain Programme. Now, those that are not aware, they will now be aware that MICYN is something that the communities have to be involved in, all the stakeholders have to know because the moment you disseminate a document, it will go across all the stakeholders in the state and they will be aware of what and what is to be done regarding the MICYN , this is a very good step.”
On technical support, the Director said that,”as you all know, when a partner comes into the state, we have what is called coordination meeting with the stakeholders in the state, they tell us their areas of support and we look at it and if we have a gap there, we try to see what activities we are going to do in order to a address that gap.”
“And that was done at their initial coming , we had the planning meetings and we were able to iron out which specific areas they are going to support us on, more especially issues around social behaviors change , you know that whatever you are doing in as much as people do not change their behavior, what you intend to do may not be done,”he added.
The Director added that “as one of their key officers at the National level use to say, you have to move from point A to point B in doing what you should be doing without carrying the burden that has been hindering the implementation of certain programmes along as you are moving.
If you continue to move with those problems, that means that the problems are not going to be solved. So we had that engagement with them, and we have map out the LGAs, communities that we are going to support alongside them.”
“In the area of funding, initially, they were not captured in the 2023 budget; as you are all aware, they came in when we had done the 2023 budget, but we are looking forward to seeing what they’re going to support us with is being captured in the budget so that the government will know this is what they are going to contribute and this is what is expected from the government to give so that to complement what they are going to support us with,” he added.
He then said, “By 2024, they will be captured under undernutrition, even this year in terms of what they were able to support us with it in the budget performance.”
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