Maternal health experts have called for the wider adoption of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) during pregnancy, saying the intervention could significantly reduce anaemia among expectant mothers and help lower Nigeria’s persistently high maternal mortality rate.
The experts made the recommendation while highlighting the growing evidence supporting MMS as a more comprehensive nutritional intervention for pregnant women compared with iron and folic acid supplementation alone. They noted that improving maternal nutrition is critical to reducing pregnancy-related complications and improving birth outcomes.
According to the experts, anaemia remains one of the leading health challenges affecting pregnant women in Nigeria, increasing the risk of severe bleeding, infections, premature birth, low birth weight and maternal deaths. They argued that ensuring wider access to MMS through routine antenatal care could help address these risks.
Multiple Micronutrient Supplements contain 15 essential vitamins and minerals, including iron and folic acid, designed to meet the increased nutritional needs of pregnant women. Research has shown that the supplements are effective in reducing maternal anaemia while also lowering the risks of low birth weight, stillbirth and babies being born small for their gestational age.
The renewed call comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with one of the world’s highest maternal mortality burdens. Health stakeholders say nutritional deficiencies remain a major contributor to poor maternal and newborn health outcomes, alongside limited access to quality healthcare services and delayed antenatal care.
The experts also urged governments at all levels to integrate MMS into routine maternal healthcare programmes, strengthen supply chains and improve awareness among healthcare workers and pregnant women on the benefits of early and consistent supplementation.
International organisations have also backed the expansion of MMS programmes in Nigeria. UNICEF announced that, through the Child Nutrition Fund and partners, millions of bottles of MMS have been delivered to support maternal nutrition, although it noted that substantially greater coverage is needed to reach the country’s estimated 12 million pregnancies annually.
The World Health Organization recommends that countries considering a transition from iron and folic acid supplements to MMS undertake implementation research to ensure effective rollout. Evidence indicates that, when delivered through quality antenatal care services, MMS can improve pregnancy outcomes and contribute to reducing maternal and newborn deaths.
