Prioritise fight against clinical malnutrition, WASPEN urges Tinubu

The President and Founder of the West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN), Dr Teresa Pounds, has called on President Bola Tinubu to make clinical malnutrition a national healthcare priority.

She warned that the crisis is growing but remains largely overlooked in Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Dr Pounds made this appeal on Monday during a press conference ahead of the 2025 WASPEN Clinical Nutrition Conference, scheduled to be held from 17th to 19th June.

According to her, the event, which will be held in collaboration with the National Hospital Abuja, is aimed at fostering solutions to hospital malnutrition.

She added that the conference also aims to address the persistent problems of hospital malnutrition that plague healthcare facilities across the country.

Themed “Bridging the Gap: Integrating Hospital and Community Malnutrition Care in Developing Countries,” the event aims to foster solutions for hospital and community malnutrition.

“The main issue we aim to treat is the urgent necessity of addressing malnutrition in hospitals. This is a silent crisis—like a skeleton in the hospital closet—that must be brought to light,” she stated.

She further added that patients suffering from malnutrition not only endure longer hospital stays but also face increased risks of complications, underscoring the need for comprehensive data to understand the extent of hospital malnutrition.

Speaking on the theme of the conference, she said, “We aim to demonstrate the significant gap between hospital and community malnutrition. Our insights from the LUTH conference last year served as a catalyst for this theme.”

She underscored the importance of recognising hospital malnutrition as a pressing issue needing collective action, including the establishment of multidisciplinary committees for better patient screening to assess nutritional status.

Dr Pounds stressed the importance of collaboration among experts, researchers, and policymakers in the field of nutrition, emphasising the far-reaching impact of malnutrition on both adults and children across Nigeria and West Africa.

She called on the government, hospitals, healthcare organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and public-private partnerships to shift their focus towards malnutrition and implement comprehensive initiatives.

“We want NAFDAC to lend support and for pharmaceutical and nutrition companies to invest in making essential nutritional products readily accessible. Institutions must prioritise nutrition screening as a standard practice,” she asserted.

Prominent figures expected at the event include Prof. Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health (Special Guest of Honour); Nyesom Wike, Minister of the FCT (Chief Host); Prof. Muhammad Raji Mahmud, Chief Medical Director, National Hospital Abuja (Host); Prof. Audu Bala, President, Nigerian Medical Association (Keynote Speaker); Pharm. Ibrahim Tanko Ayuba, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (Guest of Honour); and Prof. Salisu Maiwada Abubaka, President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria (Guest of Honour).

In his brief remarks, Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital Abuja, Professor Raji Mahmud, who was represented by the Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Pharm. Adesola Clara, assured that the hospital has the necessary facilities and expertise to host a successful conference. He emphasised that the hospital is fully prepared for the programme.

Also, the WASPEN Central Planning Committee, led by Mrs Ghinsel Blessing, revealed that pre-conference activities will include a hands-on training workshop on nutritional kits in hospitals, scheduled for June 16, and a health walk to raise awareness about hospital malnutrition, expected to be led by First Lady Sen. Oluremi Tinubu.

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