THE increasing cases of malnutrition in Nasarawa state has is becoming a worrisome situation to stakeholders, parents and residents in the state Vanguard visited some health centres in the state and gathered that children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition and stunted growth were on admission, especially Dalhatu Araf Specialists Hospital Lafia some health workers approached in all the hospitals and health centres refused to comment on the number of children admitted or lives lost so far, but the general complain was anchored on non-availability of Ready to Use Food.
In a telephone interview, the Executive Chairman of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mohammed Adis insisted that the cases of malnutrition was a nationwide issue not peculiar to Nasarawa State.
In a swift reaction the. United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF expressed concern over increasing cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Nasarawa state.
Coordinator of UNICEF in the state, Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed who raised the alarm in an interview within Lafia explained that the increasing level of malnutrition in the state has called for urgent intervention of the state government by paying its counterpart funds as part of steps towards addressing the trend.
He pointed out that the state government was expected to pay about seventy million naira (N70m) counterpart contribution to access over two hundred million (N200m) naira from UNICEF to service children programmes including nutrition.
