from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – DOCTORS are stepping up activities and expanding community programmes to detect and treat malnutrition in the conflict-prone northern Nigeria.
The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF or Doctors without Borders) is leading the intervention.
Bauchi state is experiencing a malnutrition crisis and MSF reports its facilities have reached capacity at the start of the peak malnutrition season.
Across Nigeria, MSF has reported an increase in admission rates for malnutrition by an average of 40 percent compared to the same period last year.
In Bauchi, over 5 780 children were admitted to its inpatient therapeutic feeding centre and over 17 220 were served at their three outpatient therapeutic feeding centres between January and June 2024.
The number of admissions increased by 127 percent in inpatient care and 123 percent in outpatient care over the same period in 2023.
“We are very alarmed by the catastrophic increase in malnutrition admissions we have seen in Bauchi in the first half of 2024,” said Rabi Adamou, MSF project coordinator in Bauchi.
The official said while there might be many factors exacerbating this increase in admissions, the numbers were incredibly high.
“We are just entering the peak season for malnutrition and our facilities are over capacity and need to be expanded,” Amadou said.
MSF has been supporting the local health system in Bauchi since 2012, responding to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, diphtheria and Lassa fever.
It noted that despite collective efforts, many challenges remain, including limited access to healthcare, a lack of qualified medical staff in health centres and the provision of medicines and ready-to-use therapeutic foods.
– CAJ News