Pregnant women in Macedonia to receive free folic acid and iodine tablets
SKOPJE, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Pregnant women in Macedonia will be given folic acid and iodine tablets for free from March, a move that aimed at reducing the risk of health disorders of the infant, local media reported.Macedonia's ministry of health plans to put aside 12 million denars (230,000 U.S. dollars) from its budget for nearly 23,000 pregnant women per year, Macedonian international agency quoted health minister Nikola Todorov as saying.
To facilitate the distribution of the tablets, the administration will design and set up an electronic maternity card for each pregnant woman. And medical servicemen of local healthcare institutions will deliver the free tablets as well as provide prenatal consultation according to the e-maternity card.
Pregnant women, especially for those vulnerable, will get free folic acid tablets from the start of their pregnancy until the end of the 13th weeks in pregnancy to improve health of fetus, which has already been a common health welfare in some western countries, said Todorov.
Probes on iodine deficiency of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Macedonia revealed that more than 40 percent of them absorb iodine deficiently.
Lack of iodine in pregnancy can afflict development of brain and reduce IQ of the newborn. And folic acid deficiency can result in defects in the development of the neural tube.
Macedonia health ministry will provide the recommended dose for the pregnant women, which is 400 micrograms of folic acid per day until the end of the 13th week of pregnancy and 100 micrograms of iodine daily, Todorov said.
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