Kathmandu:The government is administering Vitamin A to children across the country today and Monday. Under the National Vitamin A Program, the Ministry of Health and Population has begun distributing Vitamin A along with deworming medicine for two days, according to Lilabikram Thapa, Chief of the Nutrition Section at the Department of Health Services.
According to him, around 2.2 million children aged 6 months to 59 months will receive Vitamin A capsules under the program. Similarly, about 2 million children aged 1 year to under 5 years are being given the deworming medicine Albendazole.
For this purpose, local governments have set up vaccination centers at accessible locations. Around 52,000 Female Community Health Volunteers and 15,000 health workers have been mobilized for the program.
Doctors state that Vitamin A plays an important role in improving eyesight, boosting immunity, and supporting children’s growth and development. The deworming medicine helps eliminate intestinal worms and protects children from malnutrition, anemia, stomach pain, and diarrhea.
The Vitamin A program was initially launched in 2050 B.S. (1993 A.D.) in eight districts and has been implemented nationwide since 2059 B.S. (2002 A.D.). Similarly, the deworming program began in 2056 B.S. (1999 A.D.) in 13 districts and has been expanded to all districts since 2067 B.S. (2010 A.D.). Every fiscal year, Vitamin A and deworming medicine are distributed free of cost during the months of Kartik and Baisakh.
