Level of anaemia among vulnerable groups high - Nutritionist

The head of the Nutrition Unit of the Ministry of Health, Mrs Rosanna Agble, said on Wednesday that the level of anaemia among vulnerable groups in the country is unacceptably high, far above the cut-off point set by the world health organisation.

Mrs Agble, who was addressing the third annual general meeting of the Food and Security Network (Ghana) in Tamale, said more than 80 per cent of pre-school children and more than 60 per cent of children of school-going age are anaemic.

She attributed the cause to inadequate food intake both in quantity and quality and the ability of families to purchase enough nutritious food. Food and Security Network is a non-governmental organisation affiliated to the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Development Studies, Tamale, which works with organisations concerned with food security and nutrition.

Mrs Agble said nutrition should be seen as a development issue, because it affects productivity, education and development. She therefore called on regional co-ordinating councils and district assemblies to incorporate it into their development programmes.

Mr Mohammed Adam, Tamale Municipal Chief Executive, who presided, said the problems of NGOs operating in the region are the lack of networking and collaboration. He said without collaboration, the NGOs would be doing so much, but achieving little.Adam said the Tamale Municipal Assembly has established an office to co-ordinate the activities of NGOs and urged them to collaborate to avoid duplication.