Oyo Govt Commences 8-Day Training On Maternal Infant, Child Nutrition For Stakeholders In Ibadan
•By Oyeniyi Awojoodu, Ibadan
IBADAN – Oyo State Government in it’s efforts to address the issues related to maternal infant and young child nutrition on Monday commenced eight days training for trainers in Ibadan, the Capital City of Oyo State.
The training on Maternal Infants and Young Child Nutrition, (MIYCN) according to the state commissioner for health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi is a 8 – day capacity building for 61 participants across the state, stressing that the training which commences (today) Monday 1st of July will come to an end on 8th July 2024.
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The training which was sponsored by the World Bank is facilitated by Oyo state ministry of health in collaboration with Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria, ANRiN.
Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi in her address lauded World Bank and facilitator of the initiative, ANRiN.
She noted that the World Bank’s commitment has been instrumental in driving the initiative forward, adding that its support underscores the critical importance of addressing maternal and child nutrition in the country.
Ajetunmobi stated that the initiative marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to combat malnutrition underweight, severe acute malnutrition, obesity and improve the health outcomes of our mothers, infants, and young children in Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole.
According to her, Malnutrition remains a persistent challenge, affecting the health and development of children and the well-being of mothers.
While she further said that the initiative is aimed at training pool of 2,200 Master Trainers across the 36 States and the FCT, who will, in turn, facilitate step-down training for secondary and primary health facility workers.
She said “It is with immense pleasure and a deep sense of responsibility that I stand before you today at the commencement of the State Level Training of Trainers (ToT) on the Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) course.”
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“This initiative marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to combat malnutrition underweight, severe acute malnutrition, obesity and improve the health outcomes of our mothers, infants, and young children in Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole.”
“I will like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the World Bank for its unwavering support and contribution to the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) Project. The World Bank’s commitment has been instrumental in driving this initiative forward, and its support underscores the critical importance of addressing maternal and child nutrition in our country.”
“The approval granted at the 64th National Council on Health (NCH) to institutionalize the MIYCN course across the 36 States and the FCT is a testament to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s unwavering commitment to tackling the triple burden of malnutrition in Nigeria.”
“Malnutrition remains a persistent challenge, affecting the health and development of our children and the well-being of our mothers. It is disheartening to note that well over two-thirds of malnutrition-related deaths occur within the first year of life, often linked to inappropriate feeding practices.”
“The first 1000 days of life are critical for ensuring proper growth and development, and yet, many mothers and caregivers lack the necessary knowledge and resources to provide optimal nutrition.”
“This is where the MIYCN training comes into play. By building the capacity of our health workers, we aim to empower them with the knowledge and skills needed to provide accurate and practical nutrition information to families.”
“This training will ensure that frontline workers can support mothers and caregivers in adopting optimal feeding practices, thereby improving the nutritional status of our children and mothers”, she concluded.
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Also speaking, the Director of Nutrition, Primary Healthcare Board and Project Coordinator, ARin, Dr Khadijat Alarape stated that the initiative was necessitated by the rise in the need to fight malnutrition.
She said the capacity building was held for healthcare service workers in a bid to train them on updates on maternal and infant and young child nutrition.
Alarape further explained that the initiative will help reduce the prevalence of malnutrition in the state and the country as a whole.
Alarape however noted that the initiative which is stepped into 5 different stages is targeted at addressing malnutrition at the first 1000 days of a child, which commences from when the child is conceived till he or she attains the age of 2.
She said, “We’re here to build the capacity of over 60 stakeholders working in the health facilities in the government parastatals providing services for mothers and children.We want to build their capacity on maternal infant and young child nutrition because we have observed that if we really need to address the problem of malnutrition, global health we will need to build the capacity of the people providing services.”
“We have taken different categories of people starting from Chief Medical Director of Health, consultants, directors from the primary health care board, directors at the ministry of health. We want to build their capacity on the update on management of maternal infant and young child nutrition in the State,they have been doing it but there is a new concept that we want to introduce to them.”
“It’s going to be an eight days program from morning till evening where they’ll be all lodged here in Ibadan. After this level,we plan to step down to the secondary level,like Oni & Sons,Yemetu, Adeoyo, Jericho nursing home. The best 20 will be selected out of the 61 participants who will assist us to step down to the secondary level,after which we’ll proceed to the primary care level. So,it’s about five series of training but this is the first stage.”
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“The national level capacity has been built, that’s why we are here to build the State capacity level. We have consultants which are the Nigeria Medical Association Chairman, Nigeria Public Hospitals,Private Hospitals,UCH, Lautech, Adeoyo,NPACDA,NAFDAC, and many more. This capacity building will help to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition because the acceptable rate of stunting should not be less than 20% but presently, Oyo state is at 27%,so, we’re planning to bring it down.We also want to address the first 1000 days of life malnutrition which we call “Windows of opportunity for every child” which starts from when the woman misses her period to the space of two years birth.” Alarape said.