First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has called for balance diet for adolescent girls in Ghana to provide the needed iron and folic acid they need for development.
The first lady made the appeal in Sunyani when she launched “National Girls-Folic Acid Tablet Supplementation” (GIFTS), an initiative of the government, where 360,000 teen girls are expected to receive iron and folic acid supplement. Speaking at the launch of the programme, Mrs Akufo-Addo noted that anemia among girls was affecting their academic work negatively and thus averred that the initiative would go a long way to reduce anemia in adolescent girls. “As we have heard anemia is a serious public health problem that affects women, adolescent girls and children and has been described globally as a greatest nutrition problem. In Ghana anemia is highly prevalent, and this is not something we should be proud of,” she warned.
She disclosed that anemia also affects women which sometimes lead to premature births and deaths during delivery.
She urged stakeholders to support the programme in other to derive the needed benefits. In addition to the iron and folic acid supplement being provided under the initiative, Mrs Akufo-Addo noted that girls should be fed with protein foods including chicken, eggs and fish. She assured that the iron supplement would go a long way to reduce anemia among girls in the country. The first lady also called for the sustainability of the initiative with the involvement of major stakeholders including health workers, heads of schools, teachers and youth groups. The iron and folic acid supplement is currently being distributed to girls in both senior high and basic schools in the Brong Ahafo Region.
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