Museveni launches nutrition action plan

By Raymond Baguma                                   

President Yoweri Museveni has called on experts and medical officers in all districts in the country to use simplified language and local dialects to educate the public about the importance of nutrition and eating a balanced diet.

The President yesterday (Tuesday) launched the 5-year National Nutrition Action Plan during a function at Imperial Royale Hotel.

The nutrition action plan sets out guidelines for districts to implement nutrition programmes aimed at improving maternal and child health in the country by reducing malnutrition in women of reproductive age as well as infants below two years.

The President said that the elites should educate the ordinary people about nutrition in understandable dialects. He said the NRM government has for long emphasized promotion of hygiene, proper nutrition; immunisation and behavior change as the key pillars for good health and elimination of disease.

Museveni said he had succeeded earlier in efforts to fight HIV/AIDS because the anti-AIDS messages were simplified; and the same ought to be done for nutrition messages.

The President cited the case of Namutumba district where children are needlessly dying from malnutrition-related illnesses, yet the district medical officer could explain to the families on proper nutrition.

“If we could eliminated polio and minimize measles, control whopping cough and tetanus, then why can’t we eliminate these deformities which are caused lack of proper nutrition?” Museveni said.

“You can tell the people about the sources of proteins as body-building foods in the local languages because they don’t understand English. Also tell them that carbohydrates give fuel for the body to move and fats can be converted into energy. Minerals help in body building and metabolism and vitamins,” Museveni added.

Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa the National Planning Authority executive director said the action plan requires over sh161 billion to be implemented for the next five years (2011-2016). The implementation of the action plan will be coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister.

The President also encouraged district officials to use the radio stations to reach out to the public with nutrition messages. “There are 300 radios; all specialized in abusing Museveni but do not allocate time to talk about nutrition. The medical people have a primary responsibility to educate the public and guide them in the growing of food.”

He said the public needs to be informed about sources of nutrients. Also, in case the public cannot access the nutrients, the food may be fortified or people recommended using food supplements in tablet form.

He however said there was need to implement a comprehensive strategy that also addresses infrastructure development such as electricity and roads; education, household incomes and household food security.

The state minister for planning Matia Kasaija said the action plan was produced following contributions from the various ministries of agriculture, health, local government, trade, education and sports.

Dr. Robert Mwadime the senior nutrition adviser of the Food And Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) programme of USAID said that Uganda is lagging behind other countries within the region in improving the nutrition status of its nationals.

He said that 1 out of every 2 Ugandan women suffers from a deficiency of iron, which causes anaemia; while 1 in every 5 Ugandan women has a vitamin A deficiency. Also, out of every 1.3 million children born in Uganda every year, 162,000 chidlren have low birth weight and are vulnerable to diseases.

Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi said that the nutrition action plan is consistent with the National Development Plan and the NRM party manifesto. He also said that proper nutrition is an important for proper growth of children who would eventually grow up and carry forward the cherished national values.