By: Manoah Kikekon
The West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN) has emphasized the urgent need to elevate clinical nutrition standards across healthcare institutions in Nigeria.
The organization is pushing for routine nutrition evaluations, assessments, and targeted therapies to become core elements of standard patient care.
During a virtual press conference themed “Nutrition is a Team Effort,” held in partnership with the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) ahead of the 2026 Malnutrition Awareness Week, WASPEN President and Founder Dr. Teresa Isichei Pounds outlined the organization's vision.
She pointed out that while national nutrition programs have historically prioritized public health concerns like food security, infant feeding, and micronutrient gaps, inpatient malnutrition requires significantly more attention.
Dr. Isichei Pounds explained that many patients are already malnourished upon admission, while others experience severe nutritional depletion due to prolonged sickness, infections, surgical procedures, or critical medical conditions. Unfortunately, nutritional support often takes a backseat to the primary illness that prompts hospital visits.
To correct this, WASPEN is advocating for structured multidisciplinary nutrition care teams across medical facilities. The organization stresses that nutrition oversight should involve collaborative input from physicians, dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory experts.
> “Teamwork does not mean that everyone performs the same function. It means that each professional brings their expertise to the same patient, with the same goal: better outcomes and better quality of care,” Dr. Isichei Pounds noted.
The advocacy also highlights the importance of bridging the gap between community-level health initiatives and hospital-based treatments.
Reflecting on WASPEN's recent outreach programs during its 5th Clinical Nutrition Conference in Asaba, Delta State, the leadership underscored that nutrition strategies must span the entire continuum of healthcare delivery.
While acknowledging positive strides in Nigeria's broader nutrition policies such as the Nutrition 774 Initiative, the National Policy on Food and Nutrition (2026–2035), and enhanced funding frameworks WASPEN urges policymakers to place equal emphasis on acute clinical settings.
To mark the 2026 awareness campaign, WASPEN has scheduled two major webinars aimed at industry professionals and stakeholders:
“Nutrition Care is a Team Effort: Defining Roles, Building Partnerships, Improving Outcomes” Focused on collaboration, policy environments, and defining professional responsibilities.
“From Screening to Recovery: The Multidisciplinary Nutrition Care Pathway in Practice” Focused on practical clinical implementation, covering every phase from initial patient screening to full recovery.
Ultimately, WASPEN is calling for sustained leadership and commitment from both government bodies and healthcare workers to ensure that clinical nutrition is no longer treated as an afterthought in patient recovery.