The Lagos State Ministry of Health, with support from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has commenced an intensive Training Trainers programme on Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN).
The training aimed at addressing the critical issue of malnutrition among mothers and young children commenced on July 7 and will end on July 17, 2024 in Ikeja.
Speaking during his visit to participants Monday, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye emphasised the importance of nutrition as a fundamental human right and a crucial determinant of good health.
Ogboye highlighted the alarming statistics from the State Reproductive and Child Health Survey conducted in 2022, which revealed that over one-third of children under five years old were stunted due to inadequate nutrition.
He stressed the importance of the first 1,000 days of life as a critical window for ensuring appropriate growth and development through optimal feeding practices.
While emphasising that the current nutrition indices in Lagos State call for stakeholders’ collaboration, Dr. Ogboye acknowledged the continuous influx of people into Lagos and the resulting strain on the health system.
He also shared the good news that Lagos State had approved the UNICEF Counterpart Funding on nutrition commodities and allocated a significant budget for nutrition in 2024.
The training of Trainers of Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) aims to build the capacity of 60 trainers in Lagos State, who will, in turn, train health workers at primary and secondary health facilities on MIYCN services.
This initiative is part of a broader national effort endorsed by the 64th National Council on Health to reduce malnutrition rates across Nigeria. The programme is being conducted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the World Bank ANRiN Project.
