With malnutrition rates skyrocketing in Bauchi, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has issued an urgent plea for support to address the growing crisis. The international humanitarian organization, renowned for its medical aid in terms of emergency, warns that without immediate intervention, countless lives, particularly those of vulnerable children, are at risk.
MSF also known as Doctors Without Borders, within the first six months of this year, admitted about 23,010 children for Severe and Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) treatment in Bauchi.
WikkiTimes gathered that the growing number of malnourished children in Bauchi and other northern states overwhelmed MSF, especially with data indicating that the multifaceted trend, if not tackled would spiral into a devastating malnutrition catastrophe.
Read: Bauchi leads North Eastern states on Severe Acute Malnutrition
Since 2022, Doctors without Borders has been responding to malnutrition cases in Bauchi and runs a 250-bed capacity inpatient therapeutic feeding centre in Kafin Madaki General Hospital. In addition, it also runs three ambulatory therapeutic feeding centres in Kafin-Madaki, Kafin-Liman and Miya communities with admissions being received from not only Bauchi but other neighbouring states.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, MSF Project Coordinator in Bauchi, Mrs Rabi Adamou said despite the collective efforts, many challenges remain like limited access to healthcare, the number of qualified medical staff in health facilities, provision of medications and ready-to-use therapeutic foods which are critical to malnutrition treatment.
Read: MSF Screens Over 6000 Malnourished Children In Bauchi, Sets Up Treatment Centre
Mrs Adamou said in Bauchi, MSF is witnessing an unprecedented surge in admissions for malnutrition and has been rapidly scaling up the response in the area as well as increasing bed capacity at the inpatient therapeutic feeding centre (ITFC), in Ganjuwa local government of the state.
She said to address the problem effectively, Bauchi and federal governments and international donors must come in and work together to expand the response to avert recording more malnutrition children in the years to come.
“We are very concerned by the catastrophic increase in malnutrition admissions we have seen in Bauchi in the first half of 2024. Although there may be many factors compounding this increase in admissions, the numbers we are seeing are incredibly high.
“We are only entering the peak of the season for malnutrition and our facilities are over capacity and having to expand,” she said.
Read: Malnutrition Doubled Among Children in Northern Nigeria – MSF
Nutrition Advisor of MSF, Mrs Nathalie Avril said considering the multifaceted causes of malnutrition, it is important to deploy a comprehensive response cutting across multiple sectors.
“Recognising the geographically widespread nature of the needs, the response must mirror this extent, ensuring a broad multidisciplinary approach,” she insisted.
Executive Chairman of Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, commended MSF for their initiatives cutting across different health sectors of the state through emergency management of Cholera, Diphtheria and Lass Fever.Â
He assured the continued support of Bauchi State Government to the activities of MSF in the state to improve the health condition of citizens.
