Annual Report of the Department of Health 2010 - Unrwa

NUTRITION
Protein-calorie malnutrition and deficiencies in other nutrients such as iodine, vitamin A and iron are common among Palestine refugees.
In an effort to prevent nutritional deficiencies among the most vulnerable population groups, UNRWA has establishedsince 1951 a
nutrition and supplementary feeding programme (SFP) targeting children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, refugees affected by
tuberculosis and/or hospitalized.
The Supplementary Feeding Programme (SFP) provided food safety net in the form of dry rations (comprising vegetable oil, rice, sugar milk
and pulses) to pregnant women and nursing mothers beginning in the third month of pregnancy until six months after delivery. It should
be noted that this is not a feeding programme. Therefore its aim is not to provide poor families with food. This aspect is also managed by
UNRWA through the Relief and Social Services Department. SFP provides supplementary feeding to compensate for the additional caloric
need caused by pregnancy and lactation known to be 25% more than the basic nutritional needs. The programme does not intend to
comprehensively address anaemia.
During 2010, the SFP was reformed moving towards a health vulnerability-based approach instead of the poverty based criteria
implemented during 2009. Entitlement to the programme was based on the haemoglobin level. After the verification of the registration
status, all newly registered pregnant women are screened for anaemia at the time of registration in the antenatal or postnatal care.
Pregnant women and Nursing mothers with haemoglobin level below 12gms/dl were included in the programme for a maximum of seven
months during pregnancy and six months during lactation.
The programme in itself serves as an incentive for the early registration of pregnant women for antenatal care, which is important to ensure
better health care, early detection and management of anaemia and other related causes of morbidity. The limitations of the Supplementary
Feeding Programme are a direct result of declining financial/in-kind contributions to the regular food aid programme over the recent
years. This has led the Agency to assume austerity measures, reducing the food rations and leaving out beneficiary groups outside the
scope of the Programme. For obvious financial limitations facing the Agency it is expected that the programme will be phased out
beginning 2011
During 2010, a total of 59,284 pregnant women and nursing mothers who received preventive health care and supervision at UNRWA
primary health care facilities and benefited from the Agency’s food aid programme. Of them 21,457 from Jordan, 9934 from Syria, 5615
from Lebanon and 22,278 in the West Bank. In Gaza all pregnant women and nursing mothers are included in the general distribution food
programmes either through UNRWA social safety net or emergency food programme. TB patients in the five Fields still receive food rations
during the course of their treatment.
OTHER INTERVENTIONS
- Enrichment of the food rations basket to include food commodities that provide protein from an animal source such as tuna, luncheon
and canned meat;
- Iron supplementation for pregnant women throughout the duration of pregnancy;
- Iron supplementation for children aged 6-24 months in Lebanon, West Bank and Gaza Strip;
- In coordination with the MoH Palestine Authority, children attending UNRWA Heath Centres are provided with Vitamin A and D supple
mentation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and
- Food commodities, in particular the wheat flour, vegetable oil and dry milk which were distributed by the Agency as part of its regular and
emergency food aid programmes, were fortified with iron folate, other minerals and vitamins.
During 2010, and in order to promote healthy food habits and to improve the nutritional status of the community, an anti-anaemia
campaign was conducted in Lebanon, with the participation of health centre staff, patients, mothers of children and community.
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