SATV 18 April, Kathmandu: The government is set to administer Vitamin 'A' supplements to around 2.2 million children across the country on Saturday and Sunday as part of the National Vitamin 'A' Program.

According to the Department of Health Services, children aged between six months and 59 months will receive Vitamin 'A' capsules during the two-day campaign. Additionally, approximately 1.9 million children aged one to five years will be given deworming medication.

Children will also be provided with micronutrient powder (Balvita), and screenings for malnutrition will be conducted simultaneously.

To ensure the smooth implementation of the program, the Ministry of Health and Population will mobilize about 52,000 female community health volunteers and 15,000 health workers nationwide.

The National Vitamin 'A' Program was launched in 1993 (2050 BS) in eight districts to combat Vitamin 'A' deficiency. It was expanded to all districts by 2002 (2059 BS). The deworming campaign began in 1999 (2056 BS) in 13 districts and went nationwide in 2010 (2067 BS), while the Balvita distribution started in 2007 (2064 BS).

The government has been providing Vitamin 'A' supplements and deworming medication free of cost to children every year in the months of Kartik and Baisakh.