Several years ago Guyana, like many other countries, realised that because of poverty many children were suffering from iron deficiency and malnutrition and to address this the basic nutrition programme (BNP) was introduced at some health centres, targeting pregnant mothers.
Today the programme, largely funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) which initially contributed US$5M of the US$6.4M, is set to be extended to all health centres across the country because of its success, according to Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran.
Executive Vice-President of the bank, Daniel Zelikow signalled the bank’s intention to continue funding the programme during his one-day visit here last Monday. He said further that the programme is one of the success stories and indicated that the bank will not only continue the programme but it is expected that its importance will be heightened.
The programme entails pregnant mothers being given a locally made nutritional supplement which is sprinkled on food after it has been cooked without changing the taste of the meal. After the child is born and when he or she reaches the age of six months the mothers are given coupons to be redeemed for plantain flour, barley and corn meal at specified locations.
Initially when the programme became a reality in 2003 it was expected that it would be discontinued in 2007 but according to Dr Ramsaran because of its success it was extended until the end of this year.
And new negotiations are ongoing between the Ministry of Health’s Health Sector Development Unit (HSDU) and the IDB and it is expected that the new agreement may be inked soon for the programme’s life span to be further continued.
Dr Ramsaran is hoping that the programme will be continued indefinitely because of its benefit to the country’s children.
During an interview with Stabroek News yesterday Dr Ramsaran was asked about how the success of the programme has been gauged. He disclosed that nutrition specialists have been conducting studies which proved that the nutrition status of the children who were part of the programme had greatly improved.
Drop in anemia,
malnutrition
The minister said that the studies found that the prevalence of anaemia had dropped by some 32%, acute malnutrition had decreased by 49% and chronic malnutrition had decreased by 12%.
“[And] we are quite comfortable with the data and the analyses coming out of that data from the first set of health centres which show that indeed our objectives have been achieved… And because of that the programme has been extended.”
Initially 49 health centres were involved in the programme and according to Dr Ramsaran shortly after “because of the successes a further thirty health centres were added.”
He said because of the impact of the programme, derived from the data collected, the programme will be extended to all health centres across the country and this will executed by the Maternal and Child Health Department of the ministry.
Speaking about the objectives of the programme, Dr Ramsaran said that it was designed to address the high level of iron deficiency, acute malnutrition and chronic malnutrition among Guyana’s children.
He said when children suffer from anaemia and malnutrition these create a “vicious cycle.”
“If the child is malnourished in [his/her] early years when [they] go to the wider society, for example the school system, they would not perform as well as their contemporaries who are better nourished, that has already been taken for granted and nobody is disputing that,” he said.
Following this realisation the government as part of its poverty reduction plan initiated the programme.
The programme is two-pronged as it not only addresses the nutritional status of the children but mothers are also targeted through education. Dr Ramsaran said there is an educational component which teaches the mothers how to use the sprinkles and how to nourish their children better. The importance of exclusive breast feeding for the first six months of the child’s life is also emphasized during these sessions. He said that many mothers have seen the importance of exclusive breast feeding as they realise by giving their infants feed or water very early on can expose them to water-borne diseases.
He said while there are still a few women who join clinics very late in their pregnancy most of them have been joining as soon as they found out they were pregnant and so they benefit from all that the clinics have to offer them and the unborn child.
The minister noted that it is important for them to continue to monitor the success of the programme and not to become complacent. He said that the HSDU is responsible for the accountability by ensuring the coupons and sprinkles are given to the intended recipients.
Flagship
programme
Championing the work of his ministry, Dr Ramsaran said that it has a strong network of primary healthcare centres across the country and he described the maternal child health programme as their “flagship programme, one of the most successful programmes.” Testimony to this programme’s success, Dr Ramsaran noted, is that it carted off the international special award for being the best player in the area of national immunization last year.
And the ministry also has a ‘de-worming programme’ at health centres which targets children of all ages.