Doctors Without Borders Targets Malnutrition in Bauchi with New Approaches
By Samuel Luka
The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) also known as Doctors Without Borders said on Friday that it has launched initiatives to enhance healthcare access for vulnerable populations in remote areas across Bauchi state.
According to Adam Ousmane Ngari, outgoing MSF Head of Mission in Nigeria, the organisation has introduced the integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) approach across eight villages in Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi state.
He said that the new strategy trains community health workers to diagnose and treat common childhood illnesses like malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea.
Ngari said MSF has implemented the “family-led MUAC” approach, empowering parents to screen their children for malnutrition using a simple Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) tape.
READ ALSO: COAS urges media Practitioners to evolve, work with army to tackle security challenges
“This enables families to detect early signs of malnutrition and seek medical attention promptly”, he added.
Ngari however, noted that late presentation to hospitals remains a challenge, often resulting in children being admitted with additional complications alongside malnutrition.
He said early detection is crucial, as malnutrition is a leading cause of child mortality.
Ngari further explained that, in Bauchi, MSF collaborates with the state Ministry of Health to combat malnutrition, adding that the organisation operates a 250-bed inpatient feeding centre in Kafin Madaki, which expands to 350 beds during peak periods.
While stating that MSF also runs three outpatient centres in the state, Ngari noted that between January and April 2025, MSF treated 27,868 children with malnutrition, representing a 34.5% increase from the same period in 2024.
He said Hospital admissions, however, decreased by 4.8%, and that MSF currently runs nutrition projects in seven states in Nigeria, operating ten inpatient facilities and over thirty outpatient feeding centres.
