As of mid-March, the Ministry of Health will provide free folic acid and iodine tablets for every pregnant woman for the period from detecting pregnancy until completing the 13th gestational week. This preventative measure is vital to improve and protect the health of pregnant women, it was said on Monday.

“By taking this measure, we want to make these important supplements available for every pregnant woman, especially for women from socially vulnerable categories… From now on, folic acid and iodine tablets will be free-of-charge for them and at the same time they will be able to significantly protect their health and the health of the baby,” said Health Minister Nikola Todorov. The Ministry of Health, he added, is resuming its integrated approach to improving the health of mothers by applying measures on family planning, prenatal protection and health protection during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Research on iodine deficiency in pregnant and breastfeeding women in Macedonia has shown that over 40% of pregnant women had an insufficient iodine intake. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to serious brain damage in a developing fetus and a low IQ. According to antenatal protection protocols, the recommended daily dose of iodine is 100 micrograms.