69 % of Pregnant Women in Bauchi Are Anaemic– UNICEF

….Launches Scaling up Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) to Address Problem

From Paul Orude Bauchi

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that no fewer than 69 per cent of pregnant women in Bauchi state are estimated to be suffering from anemia.

Anemia is when a pregnant woman has low levels of healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body, often contributing to severe health problems.

The 2018 Demographic Health Survey (DHS) revealed that 4.6 million pregnant women are estimated to be anemic in 2023, with supply issues being the main barrier to consumption of iron and folic acid supplements.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF statistics, Nigeria ranks among 10 countries with more than 50 percent anemia prevalence in 2022, becoming a huge health problem.

To address the problem, UNICEF and partners have launched the Scaling up Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) in Nigeria, a lifesaving initiative for pregnant women in Nigeria.

The project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented by UNICEF in partnership with Nigeria and Bauchi state government.

Speaking at the inception meeting in Bauchi on Tuesday, Philomena Irene, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office (BFO) Nutrition Specialist, reiterated the vision of UNICEF to improve maternal nutrition by leveraging on the MMS project

Irene said the introduction of the scaling up MMS in Nigeria would strengthen the ante natal care platform to deliver high impact maternal nutrition interventions for pregnant women all over states in the country.

She revealed that UNICEF had received 134,280 bottles of MMS and more supply was expected as the project implementation progresses.

She explained that the scale up of MMS for pregnant women aligns with the Nigerian government’s plan to reduce anemia among pregnant women to 40 per cent by 2025.

The UNICEF specialist said the efforts complements the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of reducing anemia among pregnant women by 50 per cent by 2030.

MMS replaces iron and folic acid supplementation as the standard for antenatal care in Nigeria, she disclosed, assuring that UNICEF will continue to Support the scale-up of MMS for pregnant women across all states in Nigeria.

“For this innovation to be sustained, UNICEF will work with the Bauchi State Government to ensure MMS is included in the annual state procurement Plan and that funds are released through the Child Nutrition Fund for the procurement of MMS,” Irene said.

She assured that UNICEF would continue to support the State government in mitigating the effects of anemia in pregnancy and scaling up MMS for all pregnant women.

The Executive Chairman of Bauchi State Primary Health Development Agency, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, said in 2023, Dass, Giade, and Ganjuwa local government areas were selected for a MMS intervention for pregnant mothers.

He lauded UNICEF and partners for the scaling up of MMS to the remaining local government areas in the state, noting however that there were still cases of pregnant mothers who suffer from anemia, delivering underweight babies among other health challenges associated with anemia.