Nutrition and health stakeholders have raised alarm that malnutrition was on the increase in the country evidenced in the poor nutritional and health indices of children and mothers.
Speaking Tuesday during a two-day capacity/development workshop for state Legislators on Universal Health Coverage, South South zone in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Wilbroad Ngambi, the Chief of United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF Rivers Field office, said the recently released Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey report showed an increase in child wasting from 24.2 percent to 31.5 percent.
Ngambi said, “Similarly, stunting has increased from 34.8 percent to 43.6 percent. Unfortunately the Northern part of the country appears to be worse off. Malnourished children tend to have lower Intelligent Quotient and impaired cognitive ability with resultant negative effect on their performance in school and productivity later in life.
“However, investment in nutrition which is cost effective will help this trend as well as boost our GDP as a country. The World Bank in its 2017 report revealed that for every N1,000 invested on nutrition will yield a N16,000 return, showing that nutrition is for development of the nation and therefore, any resources invested in it is not a loss but a boost for the economy.”
The UNICEF nutrition expert, who described the legislature has an important role to play in the appropriation, legislation, accountability, representation and oversight in improving maternal, child’s health and nutrition, and urged South South legislatures to make adequate provision of funds for the item as they prepare the 2018 budget.
Dr Dominic Ukpong, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health, noted that the institution of the Legislative Network on UHC aimed at improving financing for health and making investment in health politically attractive was long overdue.
“I must admit that investments on nutrition have been minimal compared to the scale of the problem. Mobilizing the resources needed to accelerate progress against malnutrition and other health challenges will therefore, require that states, donors, businesses, local government, communities, Civil Societies must act in total solidarity against the emerging health emergencies,” Ukpong stressed.
Declaring the seminar open, Mr. Onofiok Luke, Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, said the house under his leadership has passed into law Primary Healthcare Development Agency Bill and state Healthcare Insurance Bill towards the achievement of Universal Health Coverage.
