National Family Health Survey 2019-20 (NFHS-5) has shown the coverage of Vitamin A for children under the age of five years in the state at 44.4%, a marked increase since NFHS 4 (2015-16), wherein the coverage stood at a mere 27.2% across districts. Nagaland has shown significant improvement in the nutritional status of young children over the last few decades. Kohima has shown the highest coverage of vitamin A in the State, with 76.8% coverage, higher than the optimal coverage level of 70% recommended by WHO—a significant increase from its last recorded coverage in Kohima of 39% as per NFHS 4. State government Friday announced its partnership with Vitamin Angels—an International Not-for-profit Organization—to help address issues of child malnutrition and mortality for children under the age of five years across the State during a consultative meeting at IDSP Hall, directorate of health and family welfare (H&FW).
H&FW department through its IEC bureau stated that the partnership was announced by National Health Mission (NHM), state H&FW department, mission director, Dr. I Talitemsula Jamir.
NHM and Vitamin Angels had signed an MoU wherein Vitamin Angels would provide the state government with technical assistance to strengthen and/or expand public health nutrition interventions targeted towards children under the age of five years, pregnant and lactating women across the State. Vitamin Angels India president Sunish Jauhari said the organisation strives to reach the most underserved and nutritionally vulnerable communities across the globe and in India. She expressed gratitude to the state H&FW department for allowing the organisation an opportunity to work with the department in reaching the millions of children in the far-flung districts of the state. Jauhari said that the MoU marked a milestone in their work with the government.
Dr. I Talitemsula Jamir expressed gratitude and appreciation for the positive work done for the State and for all the support rendered. Vitamin Angels started working with civil society organisations in Nagaland since 2011 and with the state government since 2016, providing age-appropriate, colour coded, high-dose vitamin A capsules for children.