Healthier Mothers, Healthier Babies: Bauchi Records Strong Gains with MMS Rollout

From Paul Orude, Bauchi

The introduction of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) in Bauchi State is yielding positive results, with pregnant women and health officials testifying to its impact.

The Officer in Charge of the Primary Health Care (PHC) Centre in Kofan Ran, also known as Urban Maternity, Bauchi, Hauwa Yohana Adamu, revealed that pregnant women who used MMS noticed significant improvements compared to previous pregnancies.

She explained that before administering MMS, pregnant women undergo a hemoglobin test.

Their hemoglobin level determines the appropriate intervention: women without anaemia receive only MMS, those with mild to moderate anaemia receive MMS alongside IFA, while cases of severe anaemia are referred for specialized care.

According to her, compared to iron-folic acid supplements, the results of MMS have been impressive.

Feedback from mothers and observations of their babies show significant improvements in health.

The babies appear healthier and have a brighter complexion, while the mothers look stronger.

Many women who previously struggled with vomiting, loss of appetite, and general weakness during pregnancy reported that these symptoms greatly reduced when they used MMS, allowing them to eat better and feel healthier.

She added that most pregnant women using the supplement remain healthy along with their babies. Many no longer experience anaemia, high blood pressure, or fatigue—issues that previously contributed to complications during childbirth.

Hauwa noted that MMS has addressed deficiencies in essential micronutrients, including iron, calcium, and vitamins C and E, which many women were not receiving in sufficient quantities.

A mother of six, Aisha Usman, said she recently began taking MMS during her sixth pregnancy. She testified that her experience was markedly different from her previous pregnancies.

“When I was introduced to MMS, I noticed a great difference in my health and that of my child. I didn’t experience the complications I had in previous pregnancies, including when I was once given blood. Honestly, my health has improved, and so has my child’s,” she said.

Another pregnant woman, Aishatu Mohammed Umar, expecting her first child, said she started taking the supplement at four months of pregnancy.

She stated that MMS significantly helped her as she no longer experienced vomiting, nausea, fatigue, or insomnia.

For Kadijat Mai-Aduga, a pregnant woman with hearing impairment, MMS has also made a remarkable difference.

Speaking through her sister, Fa’iza Mai-Aduga, Kadijat explained that since she started taking MMS, she has not experienced pregnancy-related illnesses, vomiting, or tiredness. She said she has remained strong throughout her pregnancy.

Mariam Musa, 26, resident of Magaji quatres in Bauchi, is carrying her first pregnancy saying her use of MMS has been wonderful.

“I am grateful to the state government for giving pregnant women this supplement free because it is not everybody that can afford it,” she says.

Now in her nine month pregnancy, Mariam said she started taking the supplement when she was four months pregnant.

“I take it once a day. I initially thought I could not take it due to its large size but when I endured and started taking it, i enjoyed it a lot , more than expected, even more than the iron folic. I take both but MMS has-been a wonderful experience

“When i was taking the first one, i used to feel dizzy and feverish but since I started taking MMS, truly i feel so healthy and I feel my unborn baby is healthy too.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), MMS provides the vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy pregnancy.

“More than 20 years of research shows that MMS is safe, cost-effective, affordable, and more effective than iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation, the current standard of care in maternal malnutrition,” says UNICEF Nutrition Specialist Philomena Irene.

She adds that MMS has been shown globally to reduce low birthweight, preterm births, and small-for-gestational-age births, while improving maternal immunity and overall nutrition outcomes.

Irene revealed that 134,280 bottles of MMS were provided to Bauchi State through UNICEF as part of the scale-up, with support from the Kirk Foundation and training for health and community workers funded by the Gates Foundation.

She added that the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) has supported large MMS deliveries of 3 million bottles to Nigeria through Kirk Humanitarian.

On sustainability, Irene called on the state government to ensure MMS is integrated into routine antenatal care (ANC) and supported through sustainable financing, transitioning from donor-funded consignments to predictable domestic procurement or pooled financing involving state budget allocations and CNF/donor bridging where necessary.

She also advised strengthening the supply chain to prevent stockouts, training frontline health workers on counselling and side-effect management, investing in behaviour-change communication to encourage early pregnancy supplementation, and monitoring outcomes such as coverage, anemia rates, and birth indicators to inform scale-up and policy decisions.

The Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, commended UNICEF for its support.

He noted that one of the major benefits of MMS is reducing anaemia, a leading cause of maternal mortality.

Mohammed said a survey conducted in Bauchi, Ganjuwa, and Giade LGAs indicated that women who took MMS had better hemoglobin levels and improved pregnancy outcomes compared to those who received only folic acid.

“The coming of MMS, which contains 13 mineral elements plus two forms of folic acid—15 in total—is designed to ensure that mothers receive all the supplements and energy needed for themselves and their babies,” he explained.

Dr. Mohammed also highlighted that MMS helps reduce maternal mortality by addressing anaemia, one of the leading causes of postpartum hemorrhage.

Preliminary research suggests that mothers who take MMS are healthier, have better blood supply, and are more likely to adhere to supplementation because it is taken once daily, unlike folic acid which requires three doses daily.

He revealed that the state government, with UNICEF support, contributed matching grants to procure MMS.

“We donated N300 million to the fund, and UNICEF provided another N300 million. We have decided to procure 4,000 cartons of additives to tackle severe malnutrition and MMS,” he said.

Bauchi State is among the leading states in Nigeria to implement MMS, aligning with UNICEF’s Maternal Nutrition Acceleration Strategy and the state’s broader efforts to reduce maternal mortality and malnutrition.

Early findings from the state survey and global studies suggest MMS not only improves maternal health but also strengthens birth outcomes, reduces pregnancy complications, and enhances adherence due to its simple once-daily regimen.

The state government aims to use these results to scale the programme further and potentially extend it to other states after final validation in January 2026.