A non-governmental organisation, Hope for the Village Child Foundation (HVCF) has advocated for the provision of calcium supplements for pregnant women in order to reduce the rate of rickets in children in Kaduna State.
The deputy director of HVCF, Rev. Sr. Juliana Ekwoanya, during the blood chemistry of over 100 children with rickets yesterday in Kaduna urged parents and pregnant women to eat food rich in calcium.
According to her, the blood chemistry is to form a baseline data before commencement of the calcium supplements.
She lamented that much attention is not given to the children with rickets, saying there is need for more awareness.
Ekwoanya who is also head of the health section of the foundation explained that rickets is caused by lack of vitamin D that is found in foods like vegetables, adding that Vitamin D is essential for the formation of strong and healthy bones in children.
“We appeal to the government to look into these cases of calcium, make provision of calcium for pregnant women because we believe that when a woman is giving calcium during pregnancy it helps to boost her calcium level and that of the baby.
“And also the government should use our institutions to carry out investigations on other causes of these rickets in children, because you find out that these rickets are more rampant in some areas than in some areas. When you go to Southern Kaduna like Hamland , Kagarko area , Kagoma chiefdom, Kachia you see a lot of children with rickets”.
A medical laboratory technician with HVCF, Friday Dauda Gyet said that people see rickets abnormality as the way God created but it’s something that can be treated, he added.
The foundation also gives free calcium supplements to the children with rickets and pregnant women.
A 16-year old Benjamin Markus who was a beneficiary of the calcium supplements applauded HVCF, saying that he has been receiving the free calcium supplements for the past one year and her legs are getting better.