Maternal Health Project Launched for Women in Pakistan
by Hamna Bano
SHARES
On Tuesday 14th June 2022 the Government and Nutrition International announced the launch of Advancing Maternal Health. This was announced through the MMS (Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation) Implementation Research project in Pakistan. This step is taken to improve the health outcomes for babies and women.
This particular launch will help inform the expansion of multiple micronutrient supplementation for expecting women. Reports say that multiple micronutrient supplementation is more cost-effective than folic acid and iron supplementation for mid and low-income countries. The use is said to help improve birth outcomes and helps with pregnancy anemia.
In 2020, WHO advised managing the Implementation Research in low and mid-income countries. This was to identify the obstacles and bottlenecks that might hinder the successful expansion. The major reason behind this step is to maximize the nutrition benefits of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS).
#JustIn: Nutrition International in collaboration with @GovtofPakistan 🇵🇰 are proud to have launched the Advancing Maternal Health through MMS Implementation Research in Pakistan (AMMI) project to advance maternal health and nutrition across the country. https://t.co/379bViMXeL pic.twitter.com/Hm7EZm5Iqz
— Nutrition International (@NutritionIntl) June 13, 2022
Dr. Abdul Baseer Khan Director of Nutrition and Health Program, Ministry of Health Pakistan said, "Increasing access to MMS will contribute to improving maternal nutrition, birth outcomes and reducing stunting, which are key objectives of Pakistan's Stunting Reduction and Pakistan Maternal Nutrition Strategy and part of the National Nutrition Program."
He added, "This MMS implementation research project in Swabi district is an important step towards potentially providing access to MMS to pregnant women across Pakistan, and I'm looking forward to the outcomes."
This is going to be a one-year program where all pregnant women getting prenatal care will get MMS in place of Folic Acid and Iron Supplementation. They will be able to access this through a community lade health worker or at a government health facility.
Dr. Fazal Majeed, Director of Nutrition Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said, "The introduction of multiple micronutrient supplementation into antenatal care is an important step in preventing anemia during pregnancy, which is currently an issue that too many women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa face,"
The Implementation Research is a milestone that will help Pakistan make progress in helping women through their pregnancy.
