The Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly (BAHA), Abubakar Y Suleiman, has said that the state legislators are very much aware of the gravity of Severe Acute Malnutrition, describing it as another child killer disease that needs to be nipped in the bud before it gets out of control.
The Speaker said that: “The State legislators came face to face with the reality on SAM when we were presented with its status in Bauchi State, at a retreat organised for some members by International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH) and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC) some few months ago.”
He added: “That retreat was an eye-opener for us on the gravity of SAM and has galvanised us into paying attention to any issue related to Malnutrition in Bauchi State. Rest assured that BAHA will not tamper with funds allocated to that component of children health and any other Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health for that matter.”
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He, therefore, in his resolve to ensure that the state did not run out of stock of ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF), pledged to support efforts by the CSOs and the Media geared towards addressing issues of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in the State.
The Speaker spoke when members of a Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the Media paid him an advocacy visit in his office, seeking for Legislature’s support in seeing that the downward review of State’s 2020 budget did not affect funds appropriated for managing Severe Malnutrition in the State.
He also commended the untiring efforts of the CSOs, Media and their mother funders, ISMPH and CISLAC for their doggedness in bringing the issues of Severe acute malnutrition on the front burner of national discourse, describing the services they are rendering as, “humanitarian”.
Earlier in her advocacy message on behalf of the team, Bulak Afsa of NTA Bauchi station said that the coalition is particularly concerned on the possibility of a reduction in the earlier appropriated funds meant for Malnutrition component in the proposed revised 2020 budget.
Bulak Afsa, who acknowledged the committed and accommodating disposition of the Speaker and his legislators towards MNCHN, also reiterated the resolve of the Coalition in partnering with the State Legislators towards addressing the challenges bordering on Severe acute malnutrition and other public health issues in the State.
The advocacy visit was prompted by the slash in the Bauchi State 2020 Budget as a result of the economic downturn arising from Covid 19 global pandemic, forcing Government at both Federal and State levels to prioritise its needs in line with the realities of the trying period.