The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has assured readiness to collaborate with the West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN) to advance clinical nutritional care in Nigeria. Nigeria, according to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), is one of the countries with the highest case of malnutrition in the world.
President of NMA, Dr. Uche Rowland Ojinmah disclosed this at the WASPEN 2024 Clinical Nutritional Conference held on June 3rd to 7th, 2024 at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Hall 36, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Speaking at the 3rd Clinical Nutritional Conference of the organization, the NMA President said their collective resolution and strategic alliance is to improve and enhance nutritional health care in Nigeria, expressing that, malnutrition remains a persistent challenge in Nigeria.
Represented by the 1st Vice President of the Association, Dr. Benjamin Oluwatosin Olowojebutu, the President explained that the alliance of NMA and WASPEN is not a matter of convenience but a partnership necessary for transforming nutritional care in Nigeria and across Africa, saying their aim is to improve nutritional care, knowledge of the patient and health care practitioners across the country.
He mentioned that the objectives of the collaboration with WASPEN is to enhance education and training in clinical nutrition by integrating nutritional education into the medical curriculum and continuous professional programs to improve the medical professional knowledge and skills necessary to identify and manage malnutrition.
According to him, “the alliance will also help in organizing workshops and seminar which will promote health practices in nutritional care. We will generate collaborative research efforts to generate endless results -based practices and innovate solutions tailored to Nigeria. The alliance will also advocate awareness about the importance of nutrition and engage policy decisions makers on quality support and funding of nutritional programs and access of the general citizens to insurance health care.”
The Nigeria Medical Association, founded in 1951 is the largest medical association in the West African sub-region with over 40,000 members from 36 state branches and the FCT with about 19,000 in Diaspora. It is involved in influencing health policy formulation in an adhoc manner through making unsolicited recommendations to government on various health issues. It also collaborates in specific projects on health issues with individual NGOs and with National Association of Non-Government Organizations on health (NANGOH).
On the other hand, WASPEN was founded by Dr. Teresa Isichei Pounds in 2019 as a regionally focused organization committed to the improvement of clinical nutritional care in West Africa. Through clinician education, research and interdisciplinary medical collaboration, its aim is to both raise awareness of issues surrounding nutrition and address support for patients in hospital. It is envisioned is to build a healthcare system in West African countries where every patient receives safe, high quality, timely and appropriate nutrition in every care setting. They bring together dietitians, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and caregivers into an interdisciplinary association dedicated to maximizing clinical nutritional care and reducing the incidences of malnutrition in both hospitalized patients and outpatient care facilities.
The WASPEN 2024 Clinical Nutritional Conference is a fulfilment of the organization's aims and objectives which is to empower healthcare professionals by recommending nutrition guidelines, and organizing conferences, seminars and other nutritional activities necessary to enhance communication and knowledge for applying common standards of nutrition support practice internationally.
Prominent at the conference are the Coordinating Minister For Health, Prof. Ali Pate who was the chairman of the occasion represented by the Chief Operational Officer of Federal Medical Center Ebutte Meta, Dr. Adedamola Dada; the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Sanwo-Olu represented by the Special Adviser on Health Lagos State government who was also the keynote Speaker at the conference, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi;
Also, the President Pharmaceuticals Society of Nigeria (PSN), Prof Cyril Osifoh the Vice Chancellor of Chrisland University, Prof. Peace Chinedum Babalola; President of the Dietitian Association of Nigeria (DAN), Prof. Olivia Adam-Anene represented by Pat Maduka; Director of the Nursing Service of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs Dorcas Shonibare; heads of departments of the Lagos University Teaching Hospitals, Pharmacist, Social workers, Nurses etc.
