The Bono Regional Health Directorate on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, launched the "Start Right, Feed Right" Campaign at the Dr Aaron Offei Conference Hall at the Sunyani Regional Hospital.

The program which was earlier launched at the National level was aimed at ensuring proper feeding of infants and eradicating malnutrition; the deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients.

Malnutrition, in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight, obesity, and resulting in diet-related non-communicable diseases is estimated that around 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age are linked to undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries. 

The developmental, economic, social, and medical impacts of the global burden of malnutrition are serious and lasting, for individuals and their families, for communities and for countries.

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To this effect, the Ghana government through the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service is joining the global campaign on malnutrition dubbed "Start right, feed right " campaign.

The campaign was launched by the first lady of the Republic of Ghana, Her excellency Rebecca Akufo Addo in the Greater Accra before extending it to the Regional level, most of the sixteen Regional Health Directorates in Ghana have already launched theirs with the Bono Region taking its turn today.

Addressing the gathering as the chairperson for the program, the Queen Mother of Chiraa who doubles as the Benkumhemaa of the Dormaa Traditional Area, Nana Yeboah Pene II charged all others to "adhere to the exclusive breastfeeding directive from the health officials to help deal with ones, how much more we as humans", she reiterated

On his part, the Regional Director for Health Services, Dr Kofi Amo-Kodie stressed that in other to encourage mother's to embark on exclusive breastfeeding which is the best way in dealing with malnutrition in children, health workers must set good examples. He, however, warned for selling of infant foods at maternities to come to a halt.

Nana Ama Asiedu, Bono Regional Correspondent