PALO, Leyte – The Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator, Dr. Catalino P. Dotollo, Jr., pays courtesy visit to Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres- Gomez.
Dr. Dotollo took the opportunity to orient Mayor Torres-Gomez on Newly Elected Officials on Nutrition (NEOtrition) and handover the NEOtrition Guide. Mayor Torres Gomez gladly welcome the RNPC and said, “please help me in improving the nutritional status of my city.”
The questions asked by Mayor Torres-Gomez includes the nutritional status of the city and what are the best interventions can made to improve the nutrition status of the vulnerable populations.
RNPC Dr. Dotollo answered her queries in terms of the nutritional status. The city has a proportion of stunting among 0-59 months old children at around 14.02% with a magnitude of 2,941, wasting of around 4.41% with 924 children, underweight of 6-16% with 1,292 children and oversight/obesity of 4.95% or 1,039 children.
The city’s Operation Timbang coverage is 81.8%.
Dr. Dotollo explained to Gomez that they have moderate level of stunting prevalence. He further explained that beyond the physical aspect of stunting is their mental and cognitive dimensions. Moreover, Dotollo said that interventions in the first 1000 days is crucial.
The first 1000 days Dotollo added, is the golden window of opportunity in the life of the child and should be addressed with utmost priority. The first 1000 days starts during women’s pregnancy until the second birthday of the child. Not addressing the needs in the first 1000 days has an irreversible effect in the child in later years.
Hence, he advocated to the lady mayor to invest in the first 1000 days through the 3-pronged program of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022, these are nutrition specific, sensitive and enabling programs. He said that there must be permanent staff and personnel to focus on nutrition programs.
The mayor told SP on Health and former City Health Officer Dr. Edmund Keirulf to prioritize creating nutrition position in a permanent position.
To date the city has a designated City Nutrition Action Officer who also concurrently handle one District Health Office, one Nutrition Officer I, being occupied by the current City Nutrition Program Coordinator and one a filled Nutrition Officer II.
Mayor Torres-Gomez vowed to be one of the region’s nutrition champions only after reducing the malnutrition indicators below public health significance. #RNPC-CPD
