By Esther Onyegbula

The Founder and President of the West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, WASPEN, Dr. Teresa Isichei Pounds, has raised concern over the growing burden of hospital malnutrition in Nigeria, revealing that between 30 and 45 per cent of patients admitted into tertiary hospitals are malnourished at admission.

Speaking during a virtual press conference to announce the 5th Annual WASPEN Clinical Nutrition Conference scheduled to hold from June 22 to 25, 2026, at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State, Pounds described hospital malnutrition as a “silent epidemic” that continues to worsen patient outcomes across healthcare institutions.

According to her, malnutrition contributes significantly to prolonged hospital stays, increased infections, delayed wound healing, rising treatment costs, higher readmission rates and avoidable deaths.

She disclosed that the situation is even more severe among elderly patients, noting that malnutrition rates rise to 71 per cent in elderly wards in Enugu, while Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF, reportedly recorded over 800 deaths of severely malnourished children in Katsina health facilities in 2024 alone.

Pounds said: “Malnutrition remains one of the most under-recognized threats to patient safety and recovery. It affects patients across all stages of life, from premature newborns in neonatal intensive care units to children battling severe illnesses and adults living with chronic diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, cancer and surgical conditions.

“Hospital malnutrition is a silent epidemic in Nigeria. The problem is that screening does not happen consistently and hospitals lack multidisciplinary nutrition teams.”

She lamented that despite the consequences, nutrition care had yet to be fully integrated into routine clinical practice in many healthcare institutions.

The WASPEN President said the forthcoming conference, themed: “Sustainable Clinical Nutrition Services: Ensuring Access, Safety, and Collaboration,” would focus on strengthening clinical nutrition systems and promoting evidence-based nutrition care across Nigeria and West Africa.

She explained that the conference would place special emphasis on neonatal and paediatric nutrition care because of the vulnerability of newborns and children to malnutrition-related complications.

According to her, the event would feature international faculty members, expert roundtable discussions on safe parenteral nutrition for neonates in resource-limited settings, scientific presentations, workshops, policy dialogues, community outreach programmes and networking sessions.
Pounds said more than 300 participants, including healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers and international collaborators from within and outside Nigeria, were expected at the conference.

Highlighting WASPEN’s achievements since its establishment in 2019, she said the organisation had successfully hosted four annual clinical nutrition conferences and established multidisciplinary Nutrition Support Steering Committees in major health institutions, including the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, National Hospital Abuja, Army Command and NAOWA Hospital Abuja, and Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital.

She added that the organisation had continued to strengthen advocacy through collaborations with the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, ASPEN, and other local and international bodies.
“This fifth annual conference represents more than a routine gathering. It reflects five years of sustained advocacy, five years of building partnerships, five years of professional training and five years of advancing clinical nutrition from the margins of healthcare into the centre of patient care,” she said.

Calling for stronger collaboration among stakeholders, Pounds urged government institutions, healthcare leaders, professional associations, development partners and the media to support efforts aimed at improving nutrition care systems.

“Together, we can strengthen nutrition care systems. Together, we can improve early identification and treatment of malnutrition. Together, we can improve outcomes for newborns, children and adults across our region,” she stated.

Also speaking, the Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Dr. Ekeneam Omo, said the hospital was fully prepared to host the conference and leverage the event to strengthen institutional response to malnutrition.

“We are actually very excited that we are going to be the ones hosting the event. Before now, we had specialists handling issues of malnutrition in their units and departments, but with the awareness created by WASPEN, we hope to have a hospital-wide approach to malnutrition issues,” Omo said.

He disclosed that the Delta State Government had already indicated support for the conference, adding that facilities were being put in place to ensure a successful event.

“We believe that we are ready to host an event of this magnitude and to ensure that all the objectives of the conference are achieved,” he added.

Similarly, Chairman of the conference, Pharmacist Paul Osogbe Enebeli, stressed the need to treat clinical nutrition as an essential healthcare service rather than an optional support function.
According to him, malnutrition continues to affect patient recovery, prolong hospital stays, worsen complications and increase financial pressure on families and healthcare institutions.

“What is often overlooked is that many of these outcomes are preventable. With timely nutrition screening, early intervention and coordinated multidisciplinary care, many patients recover faster, respond better to treatment and experience fewer complications,” he said.

Enebeli noted that the conference had become one of the leading platforms for advancing nutrition practice in West Africa, bringing together clinicians, policymakers, researchers and international experts to develop sustainable clinical nutrition systems.

He said the conference was expected to strengthen multidisciplinary nutrition support teams, improve adoption of standardised nutrition screening practices, enhance collaboration among healthcare professionals and institutions, support policy dialogue and promote research and innovation in clinical nutrition practice.

He also commended national and international partners, including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, ASPEN, ISPEN and other professional healthcare bodies, for supporting WASPEN’s mission to improve patient care through better nutrition systems.