National Nutrition Council – MIMAROPA conducted the 1st Nutrition Action Officers (NAOs) and District/City Nutrition Program Coordinators (D/CNPCs) Joint Virtual Meeting, s.2021 on 21 January 2021 via Zoom Application. It was joined by 60 NAOs, D/CPNCs, and representatives from various local government units across the region.
The main agenda of the meeting included discussion on the NNC Memorandum No. 2020-10 or the Interim Guidelines in the conduct of OPT Plus, Nutrition Screening, Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) activities in the context of COVID-19 Pandemic and other related disasters. The meeting aimed to inform the local nutrition workers on the actions to be taken in the conduct and reporting of Operation Timbang Plus for 2021.
The interim guidelines are in line with the DOH Department Memorandum 2020-0237 which suggests the use of MUAC tapes instead of weight and length/height measuring tools for reduced physical contact. However, the Global Nutrition Cluster cited key considerations for in-person interactions during data collection if MUAC tapes are unavailable or insufficient.
Nutrition Officer I Ace Patriarca led the discussion of the interim guidelines. It was noted that the MUAC tapes and the weight and height/length measuring tools should be disinfected after every use and between measurements. The standard health safety protocols including the wearing of facemasks and face shields should also be observed when conducting the OPT.
Furthermore, the decision tree on the conduct of OPT was presented to help LGUs identify which activity, method and tools to use considering their community quarantine situation. For growth monitoring and promotion activities, different scenarios were presented based on the DOH DM No. 2020-0237: Interim Guidelines for the Delivery of Nutrition Services in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic to guide the local nutrition workers on the method and frequency of monitoring.
Moreover, Provincial and City Nutrition Action Officers also shared some updates on their COVID-19 responses. According to PNAO Rubi Apiag of Marinduque, alcohols, facemasks and vitamins were distributed to their front-line workers while PNAO Rachel Paladan mentioned that they have distributed ascorbic acid as well and ordered rice-monggo curls for their dietary supplementation. The province of Occidental Mindoro has purchased ready-to-use supplementary/therapeutic foods worth Php780,000.00. CNPC Imee Celestino of Calapan City shared that they are doing community kitchen which caters the isolation facility of the city. And lastly, CNAO Pearl Rodriguez informed that Puerto Princesa City has ordered 250,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from different pharmaceutical companies.
Prior to the end of the meeting, some of the 2021 planned activities were shared including the conduct of local budgeting workshops, regional nutrition awarding ceremony, technical exchange for NAOPA and D/CNPCAP, and regional BNS congress.
NPC Blanco expressed her gratitude to all the NAOs and D/CNPCs who attended and requested to re-echo the updates to those who were not able to join online. Moving further, it is hoped that the conduct of face-to-face meetings and visits to the local government units will be feasible soon, as the situation gets better. (BLVMEstrella)
