Bauchi state government has earmarked about N400 million for health nutrition programme in the 2020 proposed budget, a document seen by WikkiTimes has revealed.
The 400 million proposed estimates is to cover trainings and meetings concerning nutrition activities in the state.
The proposed budget has also allocated N300 million capital expenditure for the provision of ready-to-use therapeutic foods, to address the excesses of malnutrition in the state.
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The proposal also allocated N60 million as additional indirect funds for nutrition programmes such as Maternal Neonatal Child Health Week.
The document also revealed that N200 million is also set aside for Malnutrition Health Emergency Response and additional N300 million for Accelerating nutrition results in Nigeria.
The proposal was in response to address the evolving cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Bauchi state.
WikkiTimes recalled that Bauchi State has the highest burden of Savere Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in the North East geopolitical zone, with nutrition indices, according to (NNHS 2018), showing overall stunting rate standing at 45.6% which is higher than the national average of 32.0.
In recent times, Bauchi State witnessed a stock out of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) from May – August 2019 with attending death of 22 Under 5 children.
UNICEF was the only international partner that came to the rescue of the state during this period, supplying 10,000 cartons of RUTF.
