The Northern Regional Medical Store has taken delivery of various medical supplies including drugs to improve care for pregnant/lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children under five years in the Northern, Savannah and North East Regions. The supplies and medicines, estimated at GHc1,800,210.00, include 52,584 doses Ferrous Sulphate with Folic Acid, 30,000 doses of Multivitamin Syrups (Multivit), 20,000 doses of Mebendazole 500 (Dewormer), and 20,000 doses of Albendazole (Helmazole). Some 82,866 individuals comprising 20,000 pregnant/lactating mothers, 32,866 adolescent girls and 30,000 children under five years in nine districts in the three regions are expected to benefit from the medical supplies. A total of 54 health facilities in the nine districts namely Bole, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, East Gonja, Tolon, Kumbungu, Nanumba South, Builsa South, Kasena-Nankana West and North are to benefit from the supplies. They were donated by Children Believe, an international NGO, as part of its implementation of the Championing Nutrition and Gender Equality (CHANGE) project. The CHANGE project is being implemented in partnership with Norsaac, also an NGO, among other governmental agencies with funding support from Global Affairs Canada. The overall objective of the project is to improve nutrition for the poorest and most marginalised, especially women and adolescent girls. Madam Esenam Kavi De-Souza, Country Director, Children Believe, speaking at the handing over ceremony said it was geared towards achieving the project's commitment to improve women's leadership and control resources for community and individual gender equitable nutrition practices. Madam De-Souza said, 'we are optimistic that by the time this project will come to an end, the medical stores would have built their drugs fund to a level that even in the absence of Children Believe, the supply chain can continue uninterrupted.' Dr Josephat Nyuzaghl, Savannah Regional Director, Ghana Health Service, said anaemia was a huge health challenge, especially within the northern sector. He, therefore, lauded the gesture, saying it was timely and would help in enhancing quality health care delivery in the area. Dr Daniel Kwaku Apawu, Manager, Regional Medical Stores, commended Children Believe and partners for the gesture and said it would help complement efforts in ensuring timely distribution of drugs to various health facilities. Source: Ghana News Agency