The West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN) has raised concerns over the growing of hospital malnutrition in Nigeria, describing it as a silent epidemic that threatens patient recovery and healthcare outcomes nationwide.
Speaking at a virtual press conference to announce the 5th Annual WASPEN Clinical Nutrition Conference, the Founder and President of WASPEN, Dr Teresa Isichei Pounds, said malnutrition remains one of the most under-recognised threats to patient safety despite its devastating impact on patients and healthcare systems.
“Hospital malnutrition is a silent epidemic in Nigeria. Between 30 and 45 per cent of patients in tertiary hospitals are malnourished on admission, rising to 71 per cent in elderly wards in Enugu,” she said.
Dr Pounds noted that malnutrition affects patients at all stages of life, from premature newborns in neonatal intensive care units to children and adults battling chronic diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, cancer and other surgical conditions.
According to her, the consequences of poor nutrition in healthcare settings include longer hospital stays, increased infections, delayed wound healing, higher treatment costs, increased hospital readmissions and mortality.
“The problem is that nutrition screening does not happen consistently, and many hospitals still lack multidisciplinary nutrition teams. Yet, despite these consequences, nutrition care is still not consistently integrated into routine clinical practice in many healthcare settings,” she stated.
She announced that the 5th Annual WASPEN Clinical Nutrition Conference would hold from June 22 to June 25, 2026, at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State, with the theme: “Sustainable Clinical Nutrition Services: Ensuring Access, Safety and Collaboration.”
Dr Pounds explained that the conference theme reflects the urgent need to ensure that every patient requiring nutrition support has access to it, regardless of economic status or location, while also promoting evidence-based practice and stronger collaboration among healthcare professionals and institutions.
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She said the conference marks an important milestone for the organisation, which was founded in 2019 to transform clinical nutrition care across West Africa through education, advocacy, research and interdisciplinary collaboration.
“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 to the centre of patient care,” she said.
Highlighting the society’s achievements, Dr Pounds said WASPEN had successfully hosted four consecutive annual clinical nutrition conferences and established multidisciplinary Nutrition Support Steering Committees in several leading healthcare institutions, including Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, National Hospital Abuja, Army Command and NAOWA Hospital Abuja, and Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital.
She added that the society had strengthened advocacy through Malnutrition Awareness Week activities conducted in collaboration with international partners and continued to support research aimed at improving nutrition outcomes and informing health policies.
The WASPEN President disclosed that this year’s conference would place special emphasis on neonatal and paediatric nutrition care, recognising that newborns and children remain among the most vulnerable groups whose survival and development depend heavily on appropriate nutrition support.
She said the conference would feature distinguished international faculty, scientific presentations, policy discussions, hands-on workshops, community outreach programmes, networking sessions and an expert roundtable on safe parenteral nutrition for neonates in resource-limited settings.
More than 300 participants from Nigeria and other countries, including healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers and international collaborators, are expected to attend the event.
Dr Pounds expressed appreciation to the Delta State Government, the Federal Medical Centre Asaba, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, professional associations, sponsors and development partners for supporting the conference and efforts to improve clinical nutrition services in the region.
Calling for greater collaboration among stakeholders, she urged governments, healthcare institutions, development organisations and the media to support efforts aimed at strengthening 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; and together, we can build a future where every patient receives the nutrition care they need to survive, recover and thrive,” she said.
