By Kemi Olatunde

Ondo State Government has trained nursing mothers in Ondo State on proper ways of feeding their children.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mrs Folukemi Aladenola while addressing the nursing mothers at the Akure Police Clinic, venue of the sensitisation programme, said it aimed at  reducing malnutrition in children between six months and 23 months old and also to teach them how to combine food that are available and nutritious for them.

Aladenola stated that the state primary healthcare facilities had done the food demonstrations to children caregivers in the primary health facilities which according to her would soon be extended  to secondary and tertiary health facilities

The Permanent Secretary who was represented by the Nutrition Programme Officer, Mrs Lois Fagbenro said the extension is crucial to ensure that children using the health facilities would not miss out  from the benefits being provided by government in other health facilities.

She disclosed that secondary and tertiary health facilities were yet  to enjoy the food demonstration clinics due  to lack of support and availability of nutrition personnels in some of the facilities

The Permanent Secretary added  that the food demonstration was necessary to enhance caregivers’ capacity  and  provide adequate and nutritious meals to their wards.

She expressed optimism that the programme would  reduce stunted growth in children  within the age range.

While appreciating the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, she noted that the Governor  has continued to  support  the programme through  the provision of infrastructural facilities, maternal and child survival enhancing programmes, and funding.

The Permanent Secretary believed that the intervention would   prevent outbreak of diseases while also enjoining the participants to always make their children available for dieticians’ advice.

In his lecture, Mr Isaac Omoniyi, a lecturer at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, described good nutrition as an important tool for child’s survival and development.

Omoniyi said that 70 percent of a child’s capacity could be determined within two years of the child’s life, starting from the  womb.

The lecturer urged mothers to allow  the composition in complementary food given to their children to be rich in content.

A participant, Mrs Yemisi Akindureli, thanked the state Ministry of Health  for the knowledge they passed down to them while saying that the knowledge would be used and also passed to other mothers she also enjoined the Ministry to do more sensitization that would benefit young mothers.    

The programme had earlier been held at  the state’s General Hospitals in Bolorunduro, Igbara Oke, Ita Ogbolu, Ore, Idanre and Akure Mother and Child Hospital.