IDA adds MMS to maternal health portfolio
Published on 2021-07-06 12:27:39

IDA adds MMS to maternal health portfolio

News

Amsterdam, 6 July 2021 - In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), women often lack access to the right nutrients during pregnancy. Proper nutrition during pregnancy is essential for a healthy mother and for a healthy start of life for every newborn child. In line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, IDA Foundation aims to support both maternal- and child-health, by supplying a broad range of products related to family planning, healthy pregnancies and safe births.

To support healthy pregnancies, IDA has already been supplying iron-folic acid (IFA) to LMICs for many years, as it has shown to reduce the risk of iron deficiency and anemia in pregnant women and support improved birth outcomes. We recently added Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) to our portfolio, through a new partnership with Kirk Humanitarian, supplier of MMS. MMS are currently the standard supplements for pregnant women in high-income countries.  MMS contain fifteen essential vitamins and minerals, including iron-folic acid, which support good health for those carrying a child, as well as better physical growth and cognitive development in unborn children and it has shown improved birth outcomes. MMS are especially beneficial for pregnant women that are malnourished or anemic, for example, the risk of infant mortality (from 0-6 months of age) decreases by 29% when a woman with anemia takes MMS during pregnancy (Kirk Humanitarian, 2021).

This shows how important it is that women all over the world have access to essential quality supplements during their pregnancy. IDA Foundation believes we need to bridge the gap here to make sure both mothers and children can lead healthy lives in low- and middle-income countries, so that no one is left behind and we can make further progress in achieving universal health coverage.

 

Find more information about MMS in the MMS Factsheet on the Reproductive- and Maternal-Health page.

Read more about our approach toward achieving Universal Health Coverage on the Our Goals page.