Nestlé empowers healthcare professionals to tackle malnutrition

The Nestle Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) has trained primary healthcare professionals to address the high burden of malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life.

Dr Omotayo Omoteso, NNIA representative, while declaring the one-day training open on Saturday in Abeokuta, said that the training was to commemorate this year’s World Health Day.

It was reported that World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on April 7, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organisation, as well as other related organisations.

The theme for 2018 is “Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere’’.

Omoteso said that about one million Nigerian children die annually and more than half of the deaths were traceable to malnutrition.

”Global studies have shown that malnutrition is an underlying factor in 55 per cent of all child deaths, with Nigeria largely affected by the scourge.

”Each year, about 1 million Nigerian children die and more than half of these deaths are traceable to malnutrition. This situation calls for urgent multi-stakeholder action.

”This is why Nestle Nutrition Institute Africa is therefore, happy to collaborate with the Ogun State Government in its efforts to address malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life.

”This is in line with our commitment to bridge the gap between science and the practical application of nutrition to ensure a healthier, brighter future for children.

”We therefore welcome this opportunity to contribute through the development of the capabilities of Primary Health Care Professionals on Malnutrition in the First Years of Life: Its Assessment and Management, in Ogun State,” he said.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Babatunde Ipaye, said that about 800 million people, constituting about 12 per cent of the world’s population, spend at least 10 per cent of their household budget on health needs.

Ipaye said that about 100 million people out of the 800 million suffer financial hardship due to out of pocket health expenditure.

According to him, half of the world’s population is unable to obtain essential health services, due to poverty.

”According to the World Health Organisation, the focus for this year is to ensure that all people can get quality healthcare services, where and when they need them, without suffering financial hardship.

”The World Health Day provides another opportunity for strengthening the healthcare system in Ogun State in partnership with stakeholders like Nestlé who supported the state’s efforts by delivering a capacity building training,” he said.

Ipaye thanked the healthcare professionals for making themselves available for the training and encouraged them not to keep the knowledge to themselves, but to utilise it in the reduction of the burden of malnutrition in the state.

110 primary healthcare professionals from Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun participated in the training.