By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
As cases of Malnutrition continue to increase in some communities of Bauchi State, global humanitarian organisation, Medicins Sans Frontiers has called for a Multisectoral collaboration to address the scourge of Malnutrition among children.
MSF disclosed that in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, where the Organisation is intervening, MSF teams have seen rates of Malnutrition admissions rise on average 40 percent compared from the same period last year.
The Organisation, also known as Doctors Without Borders, also revealed that in the focused Local Government Area (Ganjuwa), 5,787 and 17,223 children were admitted in the inpatient therapeutic feeding centre (ITFC) and the three ambulatory therapeutic feeding centres (ATFC), that support malnourished children, stressing that between January to June 2024 , the number of admissions has increased to 127 and 123 percents which is higher than what was obtained in 2023 during the same period.
These statistics were disclosed by MSF Bauchi State Coordinator Mrs. Rabi Adamou on Thursday 18th July , 2024 at an interactive session with Journalists in Bauchi.
While expressing MSF’s worry on the surging cases of Malnutrition, Mrs. Adamou said, “We are concerned by the catastrophic increase in malnutrition admissions we have seen in Bauchi in the first half of 2024. The numbers we are seeing are incredibly high. We are only just entering the peak season for Malnutrition and our facilities are over capacity and having to expand”.
Speaking on the efforts of MSF in mitigating Malnutrition in the State, MSF Medical Coordinator/Acting Head of Mission Dr. Thierry Boyom informed the Journalists that since 2022, MSF has been responding to the huge numbers of Children suffering from Malnutrition and that currently, the organisation runs a 250-bed Inpatient Therapeutic Feeling Centre (ITFC) and an inpatient paediatric department in Kafin Madaki General Hospital, and also operate in three Ambulatory Therapeutic Feeding Centres (ATFC) in Kafin Madaki, Kafin Liman and Miya PHCs.
Dr. Boyom further revealed that MSF is on the verge of launching new community-level initiative where members of the communities will be trained on integrated community case management that will include the treatment of Malnutrition at the community level.
On the need for collaboration, Mrs. Natalie Avril, MSF Nutrition Advisor said, “Given the multifaceted causes of malnutrition, it is imperative that the response is equally comprehensive and spans multiple sectors. This includes not only treatment but also preventive measures and livelihood enhancements. Recognizing the widespread nature of the needs, the response must ensure a broad and multidisciplinary approach”.
Some of the Journalists that spoke to our correspondent agreed that, there is urgent need for effective collaboration between MSF and International Partners, World bodies like UNICEF, WHO, Local NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, Media and Local Community Champions aimed at supporting Bauchi State to reverse the disturbing indices on Malnutrition.
“It is glaring from the presentations that MSF intervention in Bauchi is overstretched and so, there is need for the State and other key stakeholders in maternal and child health to lend a helping hand to MSF in their effort to curb malnutrition in Bauchi State”, said a media practitioner, Ardo Hazad.