Malnutrition: Bauchi, UNICEF Procure 4,000 Cartons Of Therapeutic Food

Bauchi State government, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has procured over 4,000 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to tackle malnutrition in the state.

The managing director of the Bauchi State Drugs and Medical Consumables Management Agency, Mr Abdulkadir Ahmed, disclosed this after a training session organised for health workers from 26 secondary health facilities, a tertiary hospital and 323 primary healthcare centres across the state.

Ahmed said the state government allocated N300 million for nutrition interventions, which UNICEF matched with an additional N300 million, resulting in the procurement of RUTF and micronutrient supplements for malnourished children.

He stated that the Agency has trained 800 health workers across secondary hospitals and selected primary healthcare facilities in all political wards of the state, noting that the training was necessary to prevent the mismanagement of essential medical commodities.

According to him, three personnel were selected from each facility, including essential desk officers and some directors of local government areas, to strengthen accountability and efficiency in the distribution and use of the commodities.

Speaking on expanded services achieved in the last year, Ahmed said the Agency expended N250 million on recapitalisation in collaboration with 18 local pharmaceutical companies, a move that enabled the state to source most of its medical consumables locally.

He added that an additional N250 million had been approved for the Agency to procure more commodities, train personnel, and support other critical operations.

The Managing Director further announced that Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has approved the construction of a modern warehouse for drugs and medical consumables, with funds expected to be released in the 2026 budget.

Ahmed also pledged to bridge gaps in the supply chain by procuring vehicles to distribute essential supplies to hard-to-reach communities, aiming to eliminate delays caused by stockouts in health facilities.

On the impact of reduced foreign aid in the health sector, Ahmed said the state government has stepped up by committing N50 million last year, N70 million and about N100 million to the procurement of family planning commodities to sustain essential health services.