The Lagos state government is mapping out strategies to scale up multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Kemi Ogunyemi, the special adviser to the state governor on health, said these strategies were key to combatting maternal malnutrition and anaemia.
She emphasised the importance of evidence-based nutrition interventions targeting pregnant women and children under five.
“The scourge of malnutrition, particularly iron deficiency anaemia, is a major public health concern, and the introduction of MMS is a timely intervention,” she stated.
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She said that the MMS project, funded by the Gates Foundation, aims to scale up the provision of MMS to pregnant women and nursing mothers across the state, noting that although Lagos had been collaborating with Vitamin Angels to provide MMS in the past, more urgent interventions were needed.
She said recent findings from the Lagos State Reproductive Health Indicator Survey (LARCHIS, 2022) revealed worsening malnutrition rates among children under five, necessitating immediate action.
“According to the 2018 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), only 59 percent of women of reproductive age in Lagos met the minimum dietary diversity. This is a far cry from the acceptable figure,” Ogunyemi lamented.
She posited that the scale-up of MMS is designed to improve nutritional outcomes by addressing this gap, particularly during the critical first 1,000 days of life, which includes pregnancy and early childhood.
Highlighting the affordability and efficacy of MMS, Ogunyemi noted that the supplements contain 15 essential micronutrients, including iron and folic acid. “Compared to the traditional iron-folic acid (IFAC) supplements, MMS offers a more comprehensive approach to addressing micronutrient deficiencies,” she said adding that this is particularly crucial in a country where maternal malnutrition is a leading cause of poor perinatal outcomes.
Prosper Dakuirah, UNICEF’s nutrition manager commended the state for its high coverage of maternal and child health (MNCH) services, noting that Lagos recently achieved 98 percent coverage in its vitamin A supplementation efforts. “The scale-up of MMS is a game changer in improving the nutritional status of pregnant women,” he stated.
Dakuirah also revealed that Lagos State is expected to receive its next consignment of MMS soon, as part of UNICEF’s broader support for maternal health in Nigeria.
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“Through funding from the Gates Foundation, we are ensuring that every pregnant woman in Nigeria has access to MMS, which has been proven to be both safe and cost-effective,” he said.
Folasade Oludara, director of family health and nutrition at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, reinforced the state’s commitment to the MMS project. “Lagos State has been at the forefront of maternal health innovations, and we have been using MMS for our pregnant women for the past four years,” she said.
She emphasised the need for uninterrupted supply and distribution, especially considering the growing demand for MMS among pregnant and nursing mothers in Lagos.
“One of the key goals of this meeting was to develop a comprehensive work plan for the scale-up of MMS. The plan, to be jointly created by government bodies, NGOs, and private sector representatives, will ensure effective implementation and distribution of MMS to women in the state’s urban and rural areas.
