Some 65 community health nurses and midwives in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region have been trained in malnutrition, with a focus on infant and young child feeding.

It was to improve their skills to identify malnourished children and manage the condition, assess their growth, and counsel caregivers to improve the situation in the area.

Mr Baba Awuni, the District Director of Health Services, Central Tongu, said he would ensure that all health workers were equipped with the requisite knowledge on malnutrition in children and nursing mothers to eradicate the menace.

She said she expected to see an improvement in the district’s nutrition indicator through the training and lauded KOKO Plus Foundation for supporting it.

Madam Alice Akitty, the District Nutrition Officer, said the Directorate recorded over 500 cases of malnutrition in children in 2022 and was committed to reducing the numbers by instituting measures, including exclusive breastfeeding for up to six months.

The participants would in turn educate nursing mothers in every community to be abreast of the issues to achieve the purpose of the training.

Mr Rockson Agbola, the District Health Promotion Officer, said the project had been carried out since 2011 to educate nursing mothers but faced financial challenges along the line.

The Ghana Health Service had since initiated several ways to promote that course to ensure malnutrition in children was prioritised.

Source: Ghana News Agency