The Federal Government through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has introduced Antenatal Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) as a new way to tackle the issue of anaemia in pregnancy.
The disclosure was made by, Mr John Wruakpa – Director & Head of Micronutrient Deficiency in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Abuja while speaking to Journalists in Bauchi on Wednesday.
The Director explained that his team was in Bauchi with International Nutrition to see the impact assessment of the gradual introduction of MMS which he said Nigeria as a country has joined its implementation.
He stressed that the introduction of MMS is to reduce the risk of anaemia in pregnancy and ensure that women undergo pregnancy stages without much stress.
John Wruakpa said that the MMS will be officially launched in Bauchi state as one of the pilot states in the country to see the gradual introduction of the nutrient alongside the Iron and folic acid presently in use.
According to him, “By the 1st of February, we will commence to simultaneous use of the MMS and the IFAS by pregnant women across the country. The Minister had formally launched the introduction of MMS in Abuja, now we are here in Bauchi state to do the same thing.
“We are not actually phasing out IFAS, it has been there for long even before we were born. This is research according to WHO, before you can introduce a new drug, you must conduct implementation research, that is what we are doing here.
“It is after the implementation research which is going on for 3 years that we get to the decision of fully introduction of MMS. Nigeria is a very large country with a population, everything will be done in a gradual process.
“MMS contains IFAS, it has 30mg of micronutrients of iron and 400mg of folic acid. It will be given where there is no IFAS available. The two will be given simultaneously until such a time that it will be available all over.”
He lamented since the start of the use of IFAS, anaemia in pregnancy has not stopped and there has been adjustment on that the world over, Nigeria cannot be an exception the more reason MMS was introduced is to have a stress-free pregnancy period.