By Samuel Itsede
the newly introduced “Masaki” Nutrition program has been credited with saving the lives of thousands of vulnerable children in the state.
This was stated by state Deputy Director state Nutrition office, Primary Health Care, Malam Magaji Uba Ahmad in an interview with journalists recently.
He said Malnutrition remains a monster and has increasingly become the cause of morbidity and mortality of young children in the state, resulting in low productivity and increased health burden to the state.
“Jigawa state is one of the most vulnerable States and several efforts where put in place by state government and development partners (UNICEF,WINNN, MNCH2, CDGP) to break the cycle”he stated.
Magaji said that “Masaki” Nutrition program was also created by the state Primary Health Care Development Agency with the view to reduced malnutrition problems among children in the state.
He, however, explained that the program was piloted at three communities including Damutawa, Tunubu and Chiromawa in Jahun local government area.
Magaji noted that the program was designed to complement the nutrition intervention that for long has focused on Community Acute Malnutrition (CMAM).
He said “Masaki Nutrition program” was also designed to provided solutions on why the majority of rural dwellers remained vulnerable to severe and acute malnutrition in the state, including difficult terrain, low socioeconomic status and poor health-seeking behaviour among parents.
He explained that the program focuses on teaching mothers on how to Cook appropriate meal with locally available food within the community which is cost-effective and advocate for maternal nutrition, the importance of star diet.
It, however, promotes early initiation, exclusive breastfeeding and provides necessary routine immunization.
Magaji noted that from July-Dec.2018 when the masaki Nutrition program was launched out of the number of malnourish children admitted into the program with Severe Acute Malnutrition 96% were fully recovered, 3% died while 0.78% defaulted.
Also 76% of the children admitted with moderate Acute Malnutrition were cured,1.07% died, while 2.1% defaulted.
He said through the efforts of Jigawa and other donors agencies state is making progress from 63.1% 54.1% stunted children, from 44.1 to 36.4% underweight children and from 17.0% to 12.5 wasting children in 2019.
He said state Assembly has recently approved the Program( state nutrition program) to be scaled up to all 287 political wards across State considering its impact.
He assured that when the program is implemented across all the 27 local government, the state will be excluded among vulnerable States in the country.
