Accra: Madam Olivia Timpo, Deputy Director of Nutrition at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has advocated for Multiple Micro-Nutrients Supplements (MMS) to become part of routine antenatal care services to tackle nutritional issues among pregnant women. The MMS, which includes 15 micronutrients such as Folic Acid and B Vitamins, is deemed essential for ensuring safe pregnancies and enhancing human capital.
According to Ghana News Agency, current nutrition supplements provided to pregnant women contain only two nutrients. At a high-level stakeholder meeting in Accra, organized by Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) under the Nourish Ghana initiative, Madam Timpo also called for the Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) used to treat malnourishment to be included in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Madam Timpo emphasized that RUTF for treating malnourished children and MMS are critical interventions needed to address nutrition effectively. However, since RUTF is not covered by NHIS, parents are often burdened with purchasing it for malnourished children when donated stocks are unavailable. She advocated for RUTF to become part of the Child Welfare Clinic (CWC) services, ensuring treatment is readily available and preventing situations where parents cannot afford it.
Currently, there is pilot implementation research for MMS as routine antenatal services and RUTF as CWC services in three regions. The Director of Nutrition urged Parliament to prompt the NHIA and the Ministry of Health to establish a clear timeline for implementing the RUTF and MMS package as part of their legislative oversight responsibilities.
Research indicates that for every dollar invested in the nutrition of children, there is a return of 23 dollars, significantly reducing the malnutrition burden on economies. Dr. Titus Beyuo, Member of Parliament for Lambussie and Parliamentary Health and Gender Committee, highlighted that nutrition is both an economic indicator and a moral imperative for women's and children's health. He assured Parliament's commitment to strong nutrition financing, emphasizing education's role in promoting nutrition under the free primary health care policy.
Dr. Charity Binka, Executive Director of WOMEC, stressed the equal importance of nutrition to women and girls, pointing out its impact on reproductive health and survival. Statistics reveal that 69,000 children in Ghana suffer from severe acute malnutrition, with six percent of children under five being wasted, yet fewer than two in six children receive treatment.