The West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN) has said that malnutrition has increased readmission and mortality rates in the country, and the federal ministry of health is told to give the same attention given to Community malnutrition to hospital malnutrition.
WASPEN President, Dr Teresa Pounds, stated this during a virtual press conference to herald the 5th annual conference of the organisation on Monday.
The annual Clinical Nutrition Conference will be held from June 22nd to 25th, 2026, at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State.
She declared that malnutrition remains the major obstacle hindering the quick recovery of patients in Nigeria hospital.
Pounds explained that malnutrition is the most unrecognised threat to patient safety and recovery in Nigeria, and the Federal Ministry of Health needs to create more awareness on hospital malnutrition.
She lamented that despite the huge human and material resources in Nigeria, 30-45 per cent of patients in tertiary hospitals are malnourished on admission, government also needs to make hospital malnutrition a top priority for patients.
Pounds also disclosed that available evidence shows that malnutrition is associated with longer hospital stays and increased infections.
While calling on governments at all levels to rise up and do the needful, Pounds regretted that malnutrition has increased readmission and mortality rates in the country.
Describing malnutrition as a silent epidemic in Nigeria, she called on stakeholders to do whatever they could to address the problem.
Pounds said: “Malnutrition remains one of the most under-recognised 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 illness, to adults living with chronic diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, cancer, and surgical conditions.
“Evidence shows that hospital malnutrition is associated with longer hospital stays, increased infections, delayed wound healing, higher treatment costs, and increased readmission and mortality rates.
“Hospital malnutrition is a silent epidemic in Nigeria. 30-45% of patients in tertiary hospitals are malnourished on admission.”
She noted that the West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN) was founded in 2019 with a clear and urgent vision: to transform clinical nutrition care across West Africa through education, advocacy, research, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
It’s envisioned a region where nutrition is recognised as a human right and where every patient has access to safe, equitable, and evidence-based nutrition care.
WASPEN has brought together physicians, pharmacists, nurses, dietitians, researchers, policymakers, and industry partners, all working toward a shared goal of improving patient outcomes through better nutrition care.
“We have established multidisciplinary Nutrition Support Steering Committees in leading healthcare institutions, including 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.
These committees are actively improving nutrition screening, early intervention, and multidisciplinary collaboration in patient care.”
