Nutrition

•Micronutrient deficiencies can cause inter-generational consequences. The level of

health care and nutrition that women receive before and during pregnancy, at childbirth
and immediately post-partum has significant bearing on the survival, growth and
development of their fetus and newborn. Undernourished babies tend to grow into
undernourished adolescents. When undernourished adolescents become pregnant, they
in turn, may give birth to low-birth weight infants with greater risk of multiple
micronutrient deficiencies.

•Micronutrient deficiencies have considerable impact on economic productivity, growth

and national development. Widespread iron deficiency is estimated to decrease the gross
domestic product (GDP) by as much as 2% per year in the worst affected countries.
Conservatively, this translates into a loss of about Php 172 per capita or 0.9% of GDP.
Productivity losses for anemic manual laborers have been documented to be as high as
9% for severely stunted workers and 5% and 17% for workers engaged in moderate and
heavy physical labor respectively (Micronutrient Supplementation Manual of
Operations)
•Mandate: AO 36, s. 2010

•Aquino Health Agenda (AHA): Achieving Universal Health Care for All
Filipinos– Kalusugan Pangkalahatan

•Goal of Micronutrient:
Achievement of better health outcomes, sustained health financing and
responsive health system by ensuring that all Filipinos especially the
disadvantaged group (lowest 2 income quantiles)have equitable access to
affordable health care.
Objectives:
•1. Contribute to the reduction of disparities related to nutrition through a focus
on population groups and areas highly affected or at risk to malnutrition
•2. To provide vitamin A capsules, iron and iodine supplements to treat or
prevent specific micronutrient deficiencies
•3. Go to scale with key interventions on micronutrient supplementation, food
fortification, salt iodization and nutrient education.
•4. Revive, identify, document and adopt good practices and models for nutrition
improvement.
•5. Build Nutrition human resource in relevant departments/ agencies.