Latest update April 17th, 2025 8:39 PM
‘Nutritional Sprinkles’ to be sold in stores
“Sprinkles,” the micronutrient to reduce iron deficiency among children six to twenty-four months old, and pregnant women, will soon be made available in stores countrywide.
This is according to Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who noted that his ministry is currently in discussions with the local producers of the product to make it accessible in all stores.
The objective of the sprinkles program is to reduce malnutrition among pregnant women and young children in depressed communities in Guyana.
Dr Leslie Ramsammy
The program aims at strengthening the implementation capacity of the public sector, and to reduce poverty through the reduction of malnutrition-related morbidity and mortality that contribute to poverty.
It was explained that pregnant women suffering from anaemia cause low birth and premature weight in infants, and maternal mortality. There is also the problem with impaired mental progress and poor school achievements.
Currently, the nutritional sprinkles are available only in 48 health centres in Guyana. These were chosen based on their location within depressed communities defined in the Social Impact Amelioration (SIMAP) Program poverty map.
The total number of infant beneficiaries per month is projected to be 10,000.
Meanwhile, Minister Ramsammy said that, for the new year, his ministry will introduce a special diet for persons with hypertension and diabetes. He explained that the nutrition department of the ministry will visit various villages to teach people how to make the special meals.
“We talk to people as if we think they all were doctors… so we tell them about complex carbohydrates and so on, and they don’t understand what we are talking about… We want to bring them under the tent and show them how to make these things,” Minister Ramsammy said.
He expressed optimism that, in 2009, Guyanese will be involved in more physical exercise, as he reiterated the fact that the number one cause of deaths in Guyana are chronic diseases. “You don’t have to join a gym…walk around in your neighborhood… get your family to walk around, let’s all get more conscious of physical activity in 2009,” the Health Minister said.
Minister Ramsammy also urged that every home be in possession of a scale, so that persons can keep track of their weight and keep it under control.
Only recently, the Ministry of Health had reported that there are approximately 10,000 new cases of diabetes reported every year, with the majority occurring among women.
Dr. Ramsammy had said that, in 2007, there were 6,201 new cases of diabetes among females, while there were 3,517 new cases among males.
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