The Bauchi State Government has intensified efforts to combat child malnutrition by expanding its nutrition programme, following growing concerns that rising poverty and inflation are worsening malnutrition among children across the state.

Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, said the worsening economic situation has left many families struggling to provide adequate nutrition for their children, prompting the government to strengthen its partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF).

Speaking while briefing journalists on the distribution of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for the treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) among children under five, Dr. Mohammed said the state remains committed to improving healthcare outcomes for women and children through expanded nutrition interventions.

He disclosed that the Bauchi State Government contributed N300 million towards the programme, with UNICEF providing a matching grant of another N300 million, bringing the total intervention fund to N600 million for maternal and child nutrition commodities.

According to him, the funding enabled the procurement and distribution of 4,842 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food to Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) centres across the state, where children suffering from severe acute malnutrition are receiving treatment.

In addition to the therapeutic food, the state also distributed 15,000 cartons of Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQLNS), equivalent to about 15 million doses, to vulnerable communities as part of efforts to prevent malnutrition before it becomes severe.

Dr. Mohammed said Bauchi was among seven states identified through a federal government survey as having a high burden of malnutrition. He added that the state became the first in Nigeria to commit its own resources to purchasing SQLNS for preventive nutrition programmes.

“The distribution is ongoing. These supplements are targeted at healthy children who are at risk of malnutrition, helping to prevent them from sliding into severe nutritional deficiencies,” he said.

The board chairman also announced ongoing efforts to improve maternal health through the introduction of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for pregnant women, replacing the conventional iron and folic acid supplements.