Cebu City – NNC 7 regularly updates the members of the DOH Regional Implementation & Coordination Team members during its semi-annual meetings. During the 1st semester meeting held on 19 July 2022 at Alpa City Suites, Mandaue City, RNPC Dr. Parolita A. Mission shared the 48th Nutrition Month celebration, 2022 MELLPI Pro. OPT Plus, Tutok Kainan Supplementation Program and Nutrition Cluster updates.
The 1st RICT meeting s 2022 was attended by about 100 participants both on and offline. Attendees included the Chief of DOH-retained hospitals and Provincial Hospitals in CV, DOH-attached agencies including NNC, PHIC, and BoQ, other agencies such as NCIP, DSWD, DepEd, DILG, and USAID, Provincial and city health officers, AMHOP Presidents from the 4 provinces in the region and members of the DOH CV CHD Execom. The meeting was presided by RD Dr. Jaime S. Bernadas of DOH CV CHD.
RNPC Dr. Mission in her presentation elaborated the on-going and recently concluded regional programs of NNC 7 including the following:
- 2022 MELLPI Pro, She shared that the monitoring and evaluation of local level plan implementation is designed to monitor and evaluate the performance of local government units and local nutrition focal persons. As part of the 2022 evaluation activity which took place on 28 March to 03 June 2022, The Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team (RNET) visited 4 provinces, 16 cities, 15 municipalities, and 87 barangays. Further RNPC Dr. Mission emphasized that LGUs should strengthen their nutrition programs by setting up nutrition offices and hire full-time staff especially as the Mandanas-Garcia devolution shall be fully implemented in year 2023.
- Operation Timbang Plus. Wherein the operation timbang plus is the annual mass weighing and height taking for all pre-school children ages 0-59 mos. old. She further cited that RICT members should campaign for LGUs to support nutrition programs and advocate for healthy lifestyle in the new normal and encourage LGUs to do weight and height taking for 0-59mos children to cover 100% of the target population.
- Importance of activating Nutrition Clusters in the LGUs. Noting that typhoons frequently hit Central Visayas especially during the recent Typhoon Odette and with the recent and on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the imperative of organizing local nutrition clusters to respond to nutrition emergencies is necessary. She shared that RNC resolution no. 2014-04 was passed in 2014, giving way to the establishment of Central Visayas Regional Nutrition Cluster as the body in charge of nutrition management in times of emergencies and disasters at the regional level.
- Tutok Kainan Supplementary Program was also presented, wherein the dietary supplementary program aims to contribute to the prevention of stunting among children 0-23 months old by improving the quality and quantity of food and nutrient intakes. RNPC Dr. Mission informed the RICT members that targeted LGUs for the TKSP program must have proper storage areas of which the locality and in the barangay as well that must be suitable to the food storage requirements of the commodities.
- Lastly, Dr. Mission shared to the RICT members the key information of the 48th Nutrition Month. She further cited the Nutrition Month objectives in which the campaign calls for collective effort to improve nutrition as the nation moves forward to a better new normal. She also imparted the key messages and the ways where everyone can participate in the celebration.
Don’t forget to like, follow, and share the official Facebook page of National Nutrition Council Region VII @nncrvii for updates on the nutrition activities in the region. // ND II James Aaron S. Perez, RND
