lron supplementation is vital hecause of the blwd loss in <lelivcry. I! the woman ic; already anemic before delivery and in the postpartum period, itincrcas1. >s the p<Jssihility of needing blood lransfusion whic:h not only opens her to more risks but also very costly. Jn 2003, 77% of pregnant women receiv,ed iron supplementation. The National Nutrition Survey of 2or,3 reports 4~t9% of womf!n as having iron dcfic:icncy nnemia. 111ere were 43. 9% of pregnant and 42. 2% of lactating women who had iron <leliciency anemia. The goal of the g<Jvernme nt i!> a reduction tu 38% of the number of women with anemia.. Accord1n~ lo the WHO (2no7), a daily dose of 60 mg iron and 400 ug folic acid daily for 6 months is adequate to meet the physiologic needs of r,regnanc.-y. (13) The HBM R gives a standard prescription for Filipi no wr. >men to take iron/folate supplement s twice a day (60 mg/tahlc l) starting on the 511> month of pregnanc.-y up to 2 months pos\partw:n or for a periud of 210 d:. ys. If an,m:!a has a high prevalence of anemia, the supplementation of 100 mg iron and :350-500 ug folicacid is recommende d for more than 16 \veeks nnd suggestecl to continue for 3 months pm,1:partu m. Nurses must know how to use a multiple-s. ite assessment for anemia. Stoltzfus et a J (1999) identifies the inferior conjunctiva, palm and nail beds as some of the sites to assess aside from 11sing the results of laboratory examinatir,n. (17) r·alc conjunctiva was found to he higher among rural compared to urban dwellers (Velandria, et al, 1995) (18) It is also Lmportant to inquire about history of malaria or other parasitic diseases since they can also cause anemia. VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENTATION Vitamin A supplements have been recommended in pregnancy to improve outcomes that include maternal mortality and morbidity. Broek et al (1996) performed a review offive trials involving 23,426 women. One large population based trial in Nepal showed a pos. sible beneficial effect on maternal mo·rtality after 1. veekly vitamin A supplements. In this study,1 reduction was noted in all cause maternal mortality up t O 12 weeks postpartum ";th Vitamin f\ supplemen tation Night-blindness was assessed in a nested case-control stndy within this tri:11 and found to be reduced but not eliminated. Three trials examined the effect of vitamin A supplementa tion on haemoglobin levels. The lrinl from Indonesia showccl a beneficial effect in women who were anemic ([Hb] <11. 0 g/dl). After supplementation, the proportion of women who became non-anaemic wns ;35% in tl1c Vitamin A supplemented group. 68% in the iron-supplemented group, 97% in the group supplemented with both Vitamin A and iron ancl 16% in the placebo group. (19) In the Philippinl:!S,women receive 10,000 IU of Vitamin A during the t1 µ·renntal visit in the 1"' trimester and throughout the pregna-ncy. The women are given the supplements and their intake followed through during pregnancy. Only 77. percent of pregnant women receive<. ! i1·on supplcmcnt. 1tion during pregnancy while only 45 percent of postpa. rtum women received a dose of Vitamin A. In 2003, 17. 5% of pregnant women and 20. 1% of lactating women hnd Vitamin A deficiency. TREATMENT OF DISEASES AND OTHER CONDITIONS Iodine deficiency is one of the preventable cause of mental retardation and brain damap,e. It is also associated with cretinism, lower mean birth weight and increased infant mortality. locline cleficien-cy is conlrollecl through direct supplementation with oral or intramuscular iodized oil. addition of iodine to water, or most cnmmonly ir Ju izat ion of sa JL In the Philippines, about 36 out of every 100 children (35. 8%) have 295 