Bauchi: Only 23% out of 381,364 pregnant women take folic acid supplements

The United Nations Children’s Fund , UNICEF has expressed concern over the low intake of iron and folic acid supplements by pregnant women in Bauchi State.

Nutrition Specialist with UNICEF, Philomena Irene, made this known on Tuesday during a one-day inception meeting focused on scaling up Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for pregnant women.

Citing the 2018 National Demographic Health Information Survey (NDHIS), Irene revealed that only 23 percent of the 381,364 pregnant women in Bauchi State receive iron and folic acid supplementation, a critical measure to reduce the risks of low birth weight, maternal anemia, and iron deficiency.

This is as she disclosed that under the new scale-up initiative, Bauchi State has received 134,280 bottles of multiple micronutrient supplements, MMS, with additional supplies expected as the project progresses.

The Nutrition specialist stated further that UNICEF will collaborate with the Bauchi State Government to ensure MMS is incorporated into the state’s annual procurement plans, adding that funds for MMS procurement will be allocated through the Child Nutrition Fund.

DAILY POST reports that the life-saving initiative organised by the state government in collaboration with UNICEF and Alive and Thrive, is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, BMGF.

“We are here today to launch the scale-up of multiple micronutrient supplements with the aim of improving pregnancy outcomes in Bauchi State,” Irene stated.

She further explained that the initiative will strengthen antenatal care platforms, enabling the delivery of high-impact maternal nutrition interventions across the state.

Irene added that it will also build the capacity of health workers to accurately forecast and manage MMS distribution to pregnant women using the Logistics Health Management Information System (LHIMS) and DHIS 2 platforms.

“The scale-up of MMS for pregnant women aligns with Nigeria’s goal to reduce anemia among pregnant women by 40 percent by 2025 and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of reducing anemia among pregnant women by 50 percent by 2030.’’

Irene assured me that UNICEF will continue to support the Bauchi State Government in mitigating anemia in pregnancy and extending MMS coverage to all pregnant women in the state.