By Murtala Muhammad
Bauchi State Government has received 4,562 cartons of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and 15,419 cartons of Small Quantity Lipid-based Nutrients Supplement (SQ-LNS) procured through the United Nations Children’s Fund, {UNICEF} under the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF).
The supplies were a matching grant arrangement where the state or local governments is required to pay a total of one hundred million naira and above and the CNF will match the same amount to procure the required nutrition supplement for prevention and treatment of malnutrition in children.
Bauchi state government had last year paid three hundred million naira while the twenty local government areas of the state paid a total amount of two hundred million naira into the CNF through the UNICEF, Bauchi Field Office.
The UNICEF delivered the procured 4,562 cartons of RUTF for treatment of children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), aged six to fifty nine months and 15,419 cartons of SQ-LNS, used for prevention of malnutrition in children aged six to twenty-three months.
Receiving the items, the Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Auwal Jatau assured commitment of the present administration in protecting children against malnutrition, noting that no child’s life is worth loosing for that condition.
Alhaji Auwal Jatau directed the State Primary Health Care Board through the State Ministry of Health to re-constitute a committee that will monitor the distribution and utilisation of the commodities to reach the target beneficiaries, and report back to the Commissioner of for endorsement and or adjustment.
The Chief of UNICEF, Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique appreciated the State and Local Government leaderships for their unwavering commitment to the welfare of children across the state.
