UNICEF Presents Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food to Gombe to Fight Acute Malnutrition Among Children U-5
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has presented consignment of Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to the Gombe State Government to fight issues of acute severe malnutrition among children U-5.
The presentation was made by the Chief of Field Office (CFO), Bauchi UNICEF Field Office (BFO), Dr. Nuzhart Rafique, during the Taskforce on Primary Healthcare quarterly meeting held at the Deputy Governor’s Office, Gombe, presided over by the Deputy Governor, Manasseh Daniel Jatau weekend.
The meeting, according to Chief of Field Office, was to review performance in the past quarter and assess progress toward achieving its goals.
Nuzhat Rafique explained that the provision of the ready-to-use therapeutic foods as part of a partnership between the state and UNICEF, with the state contributing a counterpart fund of N175 million.
The CFO stressed that, “Children are the future of the next generation,” emphasising the importance of addressing malnutrition to ensure a healthy and productive society.
The representative of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum commended Gombe State’s efforts in healthcare, noting the state’s recognition as the second best in the northeast region for health initiatives. The forum expressed strong support for Gombe State’s health policies.
During the meeting, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Manassah Jatau acknowledged the Committee’s improvements but emphasised that there is still significant room for growth.
He urged the members to identify areas where the committee fell short and share constructive feedback to help improve performance stressing that, “The meeting was an opportunity to address areas of failure and to discuss how we can enhance our efforts.”
The deputy governor commended members of the committee for its prompt attendance at meetings, highlighting it as a testament to their commitment to fulfilling the mandate.
He stressed that, “Health is the driver of other sectors in society. When health is compromised, everything else fails.”
The deputy governor also announced the government’s intention to introduce a policy aimed at improving cleanliness not only in offices but also in homes and bedrooms, to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
Additionally, Manassah Jatau received cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic foods from the Chief of the UNICEF Field Office, Bauchi.
These packages, which are part of a collaborative effort between the Gombe State Government and UNICEF, will be used to combat malnutrition among children in the state.
Manassah Jatau assured that the resources would be used judiciously to reduce child malnutrition.
The Commissioner of Health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, and the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Abdulrahman Shuaibu, also spoke at the meeting.
Both of them emphasised the purpose of the gathering was to review the committee’s progress and assess the implementation of policies and decisions made in the previous quarter.
The gathering also targets coming up with a work plan that can ensure a better result through integration and proper synergies while carrying out health care activities to meet up with future challenges in the year 2025.
Barrister Haruna, Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Gombe State, praised the political will of the state government to provide quality healthcare.
He expressed confidence that local government chairmen would improve their attendance at every meeting to address issues that affect the state’s performance at the national level.
Presentations were also made by key officials, including Mr. Abdulkadir Mohammed Aliyu, Project Manager SERICC; Mr. Felix Habila Gambo, Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, State Primary Healthcare Development Agency; and the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, who provided updates on the OBR, PHC, and key performance indicators.
