Growth Monitoring and Promotion

GMP programmes have faced persistent criticism since the 1980s for low service provision rates, poor professional performance, and inadequate infrastructure. GMP involves anthropometric measurements compared against standard references, visualised on growth charts, and paired with individual counselling for caregivers. Without guidelines, trained staff, and basic equipment, facilities are fundamentally unable to execute GMP services effectively. The WHO recommends Growth Monitoring and Promotion as a core component of essential primary healthcare. GMP serves as an entry point to broader maternal and child health services beyond its role in detecting malnutrition. Ethiopia incorporated GMP into its Health Extension Programme and made commitments under the Seqota Declaration, contributing to its relatively higher facility readiness.