By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
Media practitioners, particularly Health Reports in Bauchi state have been engaged by a health implementing organisation, BMGF- Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation funded Alive & Thrive fhi360 on the need to create awareness through various media and platforms about the importance of creating demand for Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) during pregnancy.
The Two-day engagement was towards improved maternal nutrition for expectant women and adolescent girls in Bauchi State, during which draft Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials developed, to equip Journalists with an innovative approach to information dissemination were unveiled.
In a remarks, Deputy Director, Programmes of Alive & Thrive fhi360, Stephanie Dada stressed the importance of Media engagement in sensitization of the public on access to health facilities and commodities.
She added that the Media plays a very strategic role in the achievement of set objectives regarding effective and efficient healthcare service delivery particularly the newly introduced MMS in pregnancy.
Stephanie Dada therefore charged the participants to evolve new ways of making the various messages about the MMS understanding to the target audience wherever they may be considering its importance during pregnancy.
In his presentations, Senior Behavioral Change Communication Technical Adviser for Family Health International (FHI) 360 Alive & Thrive Project, Dr. Auwalu Kawu said that the meeting was aimed at ensuring that media is adequately engaged to work as co-partners in national campaign for promoting MMS.
According to him, “This is a very well planned media engagement and interaction we have started across the states where FHI 360 is supporting together with other partners to dialogue around MMS to be available to pregnant women.”
He added that the Federal Government is committed in collaboration with the States to address malnutrition among Pregnant women saying, “The only way to do that is to promote their nutritional status in such a way that will minimize maternal mortality during pregnancy.”
Auwalu Kawu further noted that the Federal Government recently approved that MMS be provided across all government health facilities to compliment Iron and folic acid (IFA) that used to be available for pregnant women during antenatal, pointing out that iron and folic acid addresses critical point of anemia for pregnant women.
He however, explained that, having realized the limitation of iron and folic acid in addressing malnutrition among Pregnant women, government decided to include multiple micronutrients.
“One is not replacing the other, but they are complimenting the gap. MMS has fifteen nutrients which a pregnant woman needs, very essential, very important to minimize pregnancy complications and to have a healthy childbirth and also a healthy child”, he pointed out.
He further noted that the MMS is expected to be available in all Public health facilities supported by the government, especially at the primary health care level, saying that the distribution of the MMS has just started.
Auwalu Kawu also explained that the MMS is not yet everywhere, stressing that the media interaction was meant to initiate the process of awareness creation and increasing the knowledge of both the pregnant women, their husbands and other family members.
He added that the meeting is also meant to seek the support of the media to draw the attention of the government in terms of policies to make sure that the MMS is made available in all the health facilities.
“It’s going to be given free to all pregnant women who attain ANC. They are familiar with Iron and Folic acid and they will be counseled on how to take it throughout the period of pregnancy, with time it will be available in all the primary health centres”, he stated.
Auwalu Kawu also said that the project is supporting what Alive & Thrive fhi360 calls a “center of excellence” in Bauchi, where some clinics have been identified as “center of excellence” that will be a model of the services of MMS to pregnant women.
“But for now, the distribution is going on and we hope that by the end of the year almost all facilities will have the MMS available”, he assured.
He said that the government has approved MMS as an essential consumable among the drug lists for pregnant women to help them live healthy with their pregnancy.
He enjoined the media to encourage and influence the governments at the local level to make budgetary allocation make MMS available in their facilities.
He called on women to always ensure that they attain antenatal care (ANC) as soon as possible, which he observed, provides pregnant women with very important avenue to monitor their pregnancy and to take MMS based on the examination of their conditions at the health facility.
In the highly engaging discussion with the participants, the Senior Social l and Behavioural Change Technical Advisor of fhi 360 Alive & Thrive Project, said that, though iron and folic acid supplements has been widely used to combat iron deficiency and anemia during pregnancy, it only addresses iron and folic acid deficiencies, leaving out other essentials nutrients requirements of the pregnant women.
He then revealed that MMS provides 15 essential vitamins and minerals that includes vitamins A, C , D, Zinc, Calcium and more, emphasising that “MMS provides broader nutritional support to pregnant women, improves cognitive development in children and reduces neonatal mortality, in addition to cost effeciency benefits and, reduction in adverse pregnancy outcomes”.
The SBC Advisor also said that uptake of MMS remains low due to behavioural and social barriers such as poor awareness, misconceptions, myths and limited access to MMS.
He further said that media practitioners require orientation on MMS benefits and behavioural change messaging techniques to raise awareness and dispel rumours and myths.
In his contribution in the discussions, Bauchi State Team Lead of fhi 360 Alive Project and Thrive Project, Asimobi Chidiebere informed the participants that the objective of the media engagement was to increase awareness about the importance of MMS and also provide knowledge to participants through factual and clear information on the benefits of MMS.
Asimobi Chidiebere also said that the engagement would equip the participants with the techniques required to change attitudes by addressing misconceptions and promote a positive outlook on MMS among pregnant women and their families.
According to him, “Media should be the bedrock to drive the MMS intervention considering the ubiquitous nature of information dissemination in the media. You media practitioners have the ability to drive the message home.”
Speaking at the end of the workshop, one of the participant and Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bauchi state Council, Comrade Umar Sa’idu promised to use the knowledge acquired to influence behavioral change among Pregnant women and also influence government commitment towards making MMS available for pregnant women in Bauchi state and beyond.
On her part, the Executive Director, Journalists for Public Health and Development (J4PD) a CSO, Elizabeth Kah, described the workshop as “timely,” promising to mobilize her members to promote MMS and other health related issues for a healthy society.
Some other participants who spoke after the workshop, expressed their delight at being part of workshop which they all agreed was highly educative and participatory.
They also said that the knowledge gained during the workshop would enhance their output in their respective media houses.
The capacity building workshop was organised by fhi 360 Alive & Thrive with a view to deepening media practitioner’s skills in advocating for uptake of Multiple Micronutrients Supplement (MMS) that was recently launched in the State.
During the Two Days activity, participants were taken through some components of media advocacy that were specifically designed to highlight the benefits of MMS uptake among target audiences.
Participants were also presented with draft Advocacy materials that were developed by fhi 360 in collaboration with other key partners.
The participants x-rayed the draft IEC materials and made inputs with a view to making it richer, user friendly more acceptable by the target audience in Bauchi State and Nigeria at large.
The workshop attracted media practitioners from Radio, Television, Print and Online platforms , and officials of Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Board.
