Chijioke Iremeka
Medical experts have called on the federal and state governments to offer free antenatal services to pregnant women to reduce the rising cases of malnutrition among under-five children.
They said that the proposed free antenatal care services, if granted, will encourage them to register for antenatal and increase their knowledge about exclusive breastfeeding, balanced diet, and child nutrition, thereby reducing maternal and childhood malnutrition.
The World Health Organisation described malnutrition as deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired nutrient utilisation.
The WHO said that Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five.
It noted that malnutrition is a direct or underlying cause of 45 per cent of all under-five children deaths.
The UN health agency estimated that two million children in Nigeria suffer from severe acute malnutrition, but only two out of every 10 children affected is currently reached with treatment.
Seven per cent of women of childbearing age also suffer from acute malnutrition, the WHO noted.
Meanwhile, experts, who spoke exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise in different interviews, said one major factor fueling low antenatal enrollment among pregnant women in Nigeria is poverty, which has affected their access to the right information about their health and their need for good hygiene practice.
A Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician at Epe General Hospital, Lagos, Dr Cynthia Okafor, said the majority of pregnant women in Nigeria do not go for antenatal services due to unavailability of funds and as a result, do not have the right information on nutrition and child’s health.
She said, “If governments at all levels heed our voice and grant these mothers free antennal services, it will go a long way. They need to know; we need to teach them how to balance their children’s meals even with the little money they have, but when they are not in the hospitals, they will not learn.
“So many mothers and children are suffering from malnutrition and Nigeria is still suffering from it. At least, about two million Nigerians are suffering from malnutrition. The WHO sometimes recorded about three million deaths in Nigeria. The majority of them do not know how to combine their food to achieve a balanced diet. “Without money, they can still give their children a balanced diet if they have the right information. Some of the mothers don’t eat well and they give birth to malnourished children. But if the government takes this financial burden away from them, they will use the money meant for antenatal payments for other things. They can also feed their babies only with breast milk if they are aware.”
Speaking further, a Consultant Paediatrician and Gastroenterologist at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Adefunke Babatola, said if the government would be able to give free antenatal, it would save the country some stress.
“We need to enlighten and educate them on the importance of antenatal care and breastfeeding. All hands must be on deck, the community health workers, extension workers and every one of us. With these, we will be able to teach these women breastfeeding to know that they do not need millions of naira to breastfeed their babies.
“Breastfeeding is not expensive and it is cheaper to give breast milk than to buy infant formula, especially with the rising cost of food items in the country. We need to educate them on exclusive breastfeeding.
“Having said this, we call on the federal and state government to provide free antenatal care services for all pregnant women and save our children from severe acute malnutrition.”
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