Picture: Activities going on at Shuwaki model primary health care centre, venue of the IDN outreach.
By Abdulgafar Oladimeji
Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria(IDN), Kano chapter, last Thursday conducted a one day outreach programme session for hundreds of pregnant women and lactating mothers in Kunchi local government, in Kano north.
The state chairman, IDN, Auwalu Musa speaking at the opening of the one day session , held at Shuwaki primary health centre, noted that the delegation were in the area to extend a free nutrition assessment education and support , adding that the programme is targeted to create awareness among nursing mothers and their men folks on the useage of food diversity to improve family health status.
According to him, understanding proper dietary and sanitary methods by pregnant women and lactating mothers plays a significant role in securing the health of children and their families and their larger communities.
He further emphasized that, it is critical to continue to remind members of communities on the essence of first initiation of the child at birth by placing them on the breast , instantly they put to bed, adding that it is imperative to continue to trumpet the nutritional values of adopting the exclusive breasting feeding approach and other practices that should be observed within the first 1000 days in the life span of a child and to further enumerate to the people the benefits that are attached..
He employ critical stakeholders not to relent in holding fast to the tenets in pursing nutritional attitude to utilize and increase the productive output of their communities.
Earlier in his welcome address the HOD medical Kunchi Primary Health Care, Mohammed Saleh, who welcomed the IDN entourage to the council area, said Kano state government place high priority to the provision of quality health services in rural communities.
He added that the state government has continued to support health initiatives that will add value to the health of the state populace with keen commitment to ensure indigent persons are not exempted from access to quality health care services.
Our correspondent reports that the IDN delegation comprising of seasoned medical practitioners drown from diverse specializations, who conducted free nutrition assessment, maternal support services aid outreach, food demonstration and nutrition education.
Also weigh and height measurements were part of the free medical services that were rendered at the free outreach sessions.