By: Rachel Kakraba
Director of Operations, Coalition of Actors for Public Health Advocacy, CAPHA, Dr. Kasim Abdulai, has called on the government to allocate a specific budget to addressing nutrition in the country. This he said will ensure the scaling up of nutrition related interventions such as provision of micronutrients for pregnant women for their general wellbeing and that of their babies.
Dr. Kasim, stated that such a move will also ensure that all health facilities are able to access Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, RUTF, which is currently limited to only some few facilities.
“Anytime they are having policies on health, they should have specific budget lines for nutrition, this amount, we are going to use it to improve nutrition. For example, we have a budget line for something like a school feeding program, but we don’t have a budget line for providing RUTF. We don’t have a budget line for providing multiple micronutrients to our children and mothers. Usually they come under other public health interventions, no we want specific budget lines for specific nutrition”
Dr. Kasim, made the call during a capacity building workshop for Civil Society Organizations and media practitioners on maternal and child nutrition advocacy in Accra.
The workshop which was organized by the Coalition of Actors for Public Health Advocacy, CAPHA, in partnership with the Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) was to equip participants with knowledge and skills to advocate for increased leadership and action to combat malnutrition in the country.
He noted that despite the nutritional benefits of RUTFs, which helps treat millions of children threatened by severe wasting, the most dangerous form of malnutrition, some health facilities do not have them, to save the lives of malnourished children. The situation he said could become dire following withdrawal of financial support by USAID, which supplies a chunk of the life-saving products.
“With withdrawal of U-S-A-I-D, which has been supplying a lot of that, we are calling on government to still make sure they are able to find budget lines to be able to supplement, to ensure that at least our children who are sick and they go to the hospital, they get the RUTF enough and in sufficient quantities so that they’re able to regain their health.
Dr. Kasim, said the training has enhanced the capacity of participants in calling on the government to increase leadership in tackling the issue of malnutrition among children as figures are staggering.
“Every hour, two Ghanaian children die from preventable nutrition-related causes” adding on “Malnutrition costs Ghana four-point six billion cedis annually in lost productivity and healthcare costs”
Dr. Kasim, said malnutrition is multifaceted and could be addressed with adequate knowledge.
“Sometimes you may think that you have access to food, but even how to prepare the food, in a way that the body can make use of it, can become a problem”
He said investing in nutrition is an investment made in generations yet unborn and asked the government to demonstrate commitment to the pledge of six million dollars investment into maternal and child nutrition during a meeting in Paris, France.
“Even just in March, there was a meeting in Paris, in France, the nutrition for group, where the government went and pledged six million USD investment into the issue of maternal and child nutrition. But now they have gone to say it. Who will put pressure on them, who will keep reminding them, that saying it is not enough, but actualizing it, is what will really solve the situation”
Deputy Director, Nutrition Department, Family Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Olivia Timpo, said the Service in partnership with the Ghana Education Service is implementing a “nutrition friendly school initiative” which trains school chefs and community health nurses to address malnutrition in schools and communities.
“A lot is being done to address malnutrition, we have the nutrition friendly school initiative, for instance, which is an initiative that we implement together with the Ghana Education Service, where we go into schools. We train school chefs and community health nurses to be able to ensure that children are given the right kind of diet”
She said the service also offers counselling service to caregivers and mothers in a bid to reduce malnutrition if not to eliminate.
“We offer nutrition counseling services to caregivers, mothers with children at three months, six months and nine months. So every three months they have the opportunity to meet a health worker”
Madam Timpo, challenged CSO’s to advocate for greater transparency and accountability in nutrition financing as well as mobilize community voices to influence national policies.
Executive Director, Women, Media and Change, WOMEC, Dr. Charity Binka, said malnutrition is a national emergency which must be tackled head on.
“Malnutrition is not just a health concern. It is a national emergency that threatens our development, weakens our workforce, and steals the potential of our children before they even get a chance to grow. Ghana should not be battling malnutrition. We have fertile lands, capable farmers, national nutrition policies, and committed professionals”
Dr. Binka said “fighting malnutrition is not just about saving lives, it’s about unlocking Ghana’s full potential. When we invest in nutrition, we invest in education, health, economic growth, and social progress”
Dr. Binka, was unhappy the media has been missing in the malnutrition conversation, stating stepping up advocacy around nutrition calls for working collaboratively with the media as many people depend on the media for information.
