NGO Alerts Bauchi over Out of Stock RUTF for Treatment of Malnutrition

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

A Bauchi based nongovernmental organisation made up of civil society organisations and media practitioners under the aegis of Severe Acute Malnutrition Bauchi State Network (SAMBSN) has raised alarm over break in the treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in under five children in Community -Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) site designated for such treatment.

Raising the alarm in an interview during a media tour of the health facility in Lubai community of Dambam Local Government Area of the state, the team leader, Mrs. Comfort Attah, said they were in the site to ascertain the level of break in the treatment of SAM as a result of stock out of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), that is mainly used for the treatment of SAM.

Attah, who is also the Executive Director of a Bauchi based NGO, ASHH said: “You can see the volume of clients that are here with their under five children trying to access the RUTF, but unfortunately, they are going back empty handed due to the stock out.

“We just hope that the state government will do the needful so that it could not degenerate into what the state experienced last year when the stock out period stretched to about five months. During that period, there were a lot of casualties in the death of under-five children that were suffering from SAM.”

Also Speaking, Dambam Nutrition Focal Person,Waziri Ayuba said he hoped that by next week, regular supply of RUTF would resume.

A disappointed looking client with her baby, Adama Abubakar, who spoke to our correspondent, also reacted on the stock out of the RUTF at the site, describing it as disturbing.

Abubakar, who seems to be speaking the minds of the over 60 disappointed clients, said further, “We just don’t know what is happening. This was how it started last year and it stretched to about six months without the RUTF and just when we thought we are over that, and now this”.

All the clients at the Lubai CMAM sites were unanimous in their appeal to Bauchi State government to ensure regular supply of the RUTF to help their children regain their health.

Reacting on the stock out in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, the Bauchi State Nutrition Officer, Mallam Hamza Yahaya Sade said it was true that some LGAs were experiencing break in the supply of RUTF saying, “as it is, we have only 100 cartons remaining in the entire state. I have written to relevant authority some weeks back alerting on the impending stock out and i believe something will be done about it, but for now, we have run of RUTF in the state”.