Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) coalition, a group of professionals in diverse fields, has commended the Federal Government for providing Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) in sufficient quantity in Gombe State.
MNCH is a group advocating for improved Maternal and Child Health in the country,
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that RUTF, popularly called the plumpy nut, is for the treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
Malam Alhassan Yahaya, Chairman of the group, made the commendation in an interview with NAN in Gombe on Monday.
He said about 10,000 cartons of RUTF was allocated for Gombe state and the goods were already in the central store of the state Ministry of Health.
According to him, this is the first time Gombe state is receiving such quantity, adding that it will go a long way in tackling the problem of SAM in the state.
“We will ensure that there is no diversion and that the supplement reaches the target group who are predominantly from less privileged backgrounds,” he said.
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He appreciated the effort of Civil Society Organisations, Development Partners and other groups advocating for improved maternal and child health.
He assured that the group would intensify its campaign to ensure that all the nooks and crannies of the state, knew what malnutrition is and the way forward.
He also stressed the need for the public to focus attention on preventive measures of malnutrition than curative.
Yahaya said exclusive breastfeeding provided the ideal food during the first six months of childbirth with complementary feeding as being recommended thereafter because breast milk was no longer sufficient for the infant.
The chairman said the raw material for the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) was available within the communities but people needed to be sensitised on how to harness same.