Uncertainty remains over 1.7m malnourished children
Nigerian government is uncertain about some $10 million in funding for therapeutic foods (called plumpy nuts) used in treating children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM), which affects up to 1.7 million children. Ministry of health permanent secretary Linus Awute told Daily Trust, “The issue of funding will always be a problem but prioritizing [needs] based […]
Nigerian government is uncertain about some $10 million in funding for therapeutic foods (called plumpy nuts) used in treating children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM), which affects up to 1.7 million children.
Ministry of health permanent secretary Linus Awute told Daily Trust, “The issue of funding will always be a problem but prioritizing [needs] based on in-house capacity is always a way out.”
He spoke on the sidelines of a policy dialogue organised by the Civil Societies for Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which provides plumpy nuts at more than 642 outpatient sites for Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition has said Nigerian government will need to provide up to $2.7 million next year and $10 million by 2018 in counterpart funding to purchase and transport plumpy nuts.
The programme is operational in 11 northern states where the need is considered greatest, but recent surveys have shown more than two of out every three children with SAM do not get treatment.
Plumpy nuts are not produced in Nigeria and costs around $160 to purchase and transport the therapeutic food per child.
“For every programme implementation, it is preceded by an integrated plan,” Awute told Daily Trust in government’s defence.
“At the planning stage we will be able to know how this will be derived.”
It has been funded by a consortium of donors including the UK, CIFF, European Union, the US, Bill and Melinda Gates and Japan>
But continued financing from them to sustain and push CMAM to states where it doesn’t exist is uncertain, according to Dr Arjan de Wagt, UNICEF’s chief of nutrition in Nigeria.
It is understood donors would require Nigerian government to provide up to $10m at its half of the counterpart fund for the treatment programme to continue.
More than 900,000 children have been treated since the programme started, and 325,000 lives could be saved this year alone if CMAM becomes nationwide, said de Wagt.
And continued treatment could save an estimated 52,600 children by 2018, while treating another 263,000.