Pounds Wants Nigeria’s Healthcare System To Prioritise Clinical Malnutrition Amid Crisis

The president of the West African Society of Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN), Dr Theresa Pounds, has raised concern over the high rate of clinical malnutrition, which poses a major threat and affecting patients’ health and recovery rate in hospitals across Nigeria.

Speaking at a virtual meeting with journalists, Dr Pounds charged the Federal, State and Local Governments to make clinical malnutrition a national healthcare priority.

She remarked that while the crisis was growing, it remains largely overlooked in Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Consequently, the forthcoming conference themed “Bridging the Gap: Integrating Hospital and Community Malnutrition Care in Developing Countries,” scheduled for June 17-19, 2025, will be a gathering of policymakers, medical professionals, nutritionists and other stakeholders in the healthcare sector to develop policies to avert clinical malnutrition.

Dr Pounds buttressed the urgent need for
awareness, policy reform, and collaboration among healthcare stakeholders to ensure effective hospital nutrition programmes.

She affirmed, “The urgency of malnutrition remains a major yet overlooked challenge in both acute hospital settings and community healthcare

“Many patients, particularly those with chronic illnesses, surgical conditions, and critical care needs, suffer from inadequate nutritional support, leading to longer hospital stays, increased complications, and higher mortality rates. This must be addressed at the highest level.”

“As a professional society, WASPEN is committed to ensuring that specialized clinical nutrition interventions are not only recognized but also implemented as a fundamental part of healthcare practice in Nigeria and across West Africa,” she averred.

She added that one of WASPEN’s objectives was to establish interdisciplinary steering committees in major institutions, tasked with advancing clinical nutrition advocacy and intervention. Just as this will provide critical data to support national policies and drive sustainable change.

In his remarks, Chief Medical Director of National Hospital Abuja, Prof. Muhammad Raji Mahmud, represented by the LOC Chairperson, Pharm. Clara Adesola, underscored that the partnership with WASPEN would enable a comprehensive, “top-to-bottom” examination of nutrition-related challenges within the healthcare sector.

Distinguished guests and speakers 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), Prof. Salisu Maiwada Abubakar, President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria (Guest of Honour) and Mr. Haruna Mamman, President, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (Guest of Honour), amongst others.