Group promotes IYCF in Gombe, says it an option towards ending Malnutrition
Chima Azubuike
Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), has urged Gombe state government to embrace Infant Young Child Feeding (IYCF), as a way out of malnutrition.
Speaking at a media engagement in Gombe, State Coordinator Comfort Mukollo, said government must emphasis more on prevention of malnutrition, adding that it is safer and cost effective.
According to Mukollo, “This is simply about promoting Infant Young Child Feeding; CS-SUNN saw the need, IYCF is a preventive method of ending malnutrition instead of the curative method.
“It is even cheaper, and easier for government, when we prevent our children from becoming malnourished, there will be no need to spend the huge sum of money buying Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).”
On his part, Alhassan Yahya, Chairman Maternal Neonatal Child Health (MNCH) in Gombe state, while delivering 1st and 2nd presentations on the role of media in promoting IYCF in the state, said Nigeria is one of the countries with high cases of malnutrition.
He described cases in Gombe state as alarming, adding that in the past years, the state has witnessed an increase in the number of children that are suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition.
Yahya said, “After a feasibility study by UNICEF, they realized they have this issue in so many local governments. UNICEF decided to launch a Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programme. The state budgeted N75m but has released N25m, remaining N50m.
“In my earlier presentation I talked about the negligence by all of us on this thematic area it is an area that if we focus more; no doubt Severe Acute Malnutrition will drop drastically, and it on preventive measure.
“As members of the media, we have roles to play in setting agenda for government to invest more money on Infant Young Child Feeding (IYCF). Most of us here as members of the media, civil society. However, we focus more on treatment instead of prevention. This prevention is very simple, in 10 months we consume RUTF of over 300 million naira; if government can only release only 100 million naira for prevention the result will be enormous, far better than what we are seeing in the treatment. The needed components are available in our communities but we need to sensitize our communities, the farmers.”
Also speaking, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Gombe state chapter, Saidu Malala and Rebecca Muazu, Voice of Nigeria Senior Correspondent, in charge of North East, while making separate commitments to projecting Infant Young Child Feeding (IYCF), noted the importance of the media.
“Based in the fact that we have the interest at heart, even within a short notice. We are determined to see to the possibility of eradicating this problem in the state.
“I want to assure you that it was based on the commitment of entire working journalists in the state that led to the initial commitment of government to provide about 1,129 cartons of ready to use therapeutic food. This is because several journalists from various media organizations wrote at different times to press hard on the state government to see to the possibility of making this procurement. We will do our best to see that we contributed in ensuring a healthy society,” Malala said.
Muazu said, “I’m committed that as from today onward I will project Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) stories; I have been hearing reports from others, I think I’m more committed now to go to some of these (CMAM) centres, find out things myself and then report it.”
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