The President and Founder of West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN) , Dr. Teresa Isichei Pounds, Pharm.D., BCNSP, FNAPPSA, FPCPharm had called on Government at all levels to address the critical issue of hospital malnutrition . 
Dr Pounds made the call  during a virtual press conference to herald the 2024 Malnutrition  Awareness Week (MAW) ,holding from  September 16th-20th in five different locations.
According to World Health Organization(WHO), malnutrition refers to deficiencies ,excesses or imbalance in a person's intake of energy and/or nutrients.
WASPEN president  further proposed for urgent need to set up  Nutrition Steering Committees (NSC) in all the hospital across the country  to help solve  problems related to malnutrition for total patients care.
'Hospitals should set up a nutrition support Committee that will involve Doctors,  Pharmacists, Nurses, Dieticians and Social Workers that will ensure prompt access to nutrition care when patients are on admission"
 She reiterated the fact that there is little or no information about the nutrition status of most patients in Nigerian hospitals and this has both serious health and economic implications
Dr Pounds said that WASPEN MAW 2024  activities will also at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital(ABUTH), Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) M Niger Delta University Teaching hospital(NDUTH)  and Plateau state specialist hospital(PSSH)
CEOAFRICA reports that WASPEN is a Non Governmental Organization(NGO)  dedicated to advancing nutrition care across West Africa through clinical education, research, and interdisciplinary collaboration is bringing renewed vigor to the global fight against hospital malnutrition through this week long program.
 WASPEN  was established in Nigeria in 2019 joined the global battle against hospital malnutrition by partnering with  the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) for the 2024 Malnutrition Awareness Week.The week-long MAW program will shine the spotlight on the often-overlooked issue of malnutrition in the Hospitals across Nigeria and in the West African sub region.
 Its goals and objectives is enhancing clinical nutritional care throughout West Africa. 
The organization  has a vision of “building healthcare systems in West Africa countries where patients receive safe, high quality and timely appropriate nutrition in every care setting”. They offer clinician education, research, and interdisciplinary medical collaboration through an interdisciplinary system made up of dietitians, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and carers. This system seeks to address support for hospitalized patients as well as increase awareness of nutrition-related issues.
During this week-long MAW event two major webinars will be held. The first webinar will be held  on Tuesday 17th September, 2024  with the sub theme “Malnutrition in Healthcare: Strategies for early Detection and Comprehensive Management”. The moderator for the webinar will be Dr Ejiro Akpovwovwo a Consultant Clinical Pharmacist and Business Analytics Specialist. Speakers at the webinar include: Dr Teresa Pounds Founder and President of WASPEN, a Consultant Metabolic Support, Medication Therapy Management Georgia, USA, Nr. DDNS Sarat Onyebuka Ojei, Deputy Director of Nursing Services LUTH and Member Board of Directors WASPEN, Dtn Patience Chima Madubuko, Dietician (RD) LUTH and the National Secretary of the Dietician Association of Nigeria, Dr Oluwafunmilayo, Funke Adeniyi, Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist LUTH and Dr Titilayo Afolabi, a seasoned Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist and  Researcher, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis Tennessee. 
At the second  Webinar that will be held on Thursday 19th of September 2024,  the moderator of the event will be Prof Azuka Opara, Dean Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin and Secretary WASPEN Board of Directors. Other pane list include: Dr Teresa Pounds,  Prof Felix Alakaloko, M.D Consultant Neonatal and Pediatric Urology Surgeon, Nutrition Steering Committee LUTH, Prof Aminu Mohammad Balarabe, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Chairman Medical Advisory Committee Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital(ABUTH) Zaria, Pharm Mrs Chisom F Uchem, Executive Secretary, CEO/Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Prof Johnbull Jumbo, Prof of Pulmonology and Consultant Pulmunologist, Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) and Prof Christopher Sabo Yilgwa, Chief Medical Director CMD, Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Jos, Pharm Kim Jerry Bot, Executive secretary Plateau state Drug's and Medical Commodities Management Agency (PS-DMCMA)
WASPEN members in attendance at the virtual  press conference  were: Tevin Klein; Project Director, Odi Gift, Administrative Secretary Pharm Ghinsel Nanret Blessing, Coordinator, Plateau State, Ojei Sarat Onyebuka, LUTH, member, Pharm Naruka Solomon Yakubu Plateau State unit member, Dr Nwako, CNN, Clinical Pharmacist, member, Pharm (Dr) Bilikisu mojirola Amuda -Oladeji (LUTH) member, Dietitian Akhigbe Evelyn Omolegho,  NDUTH Okolobiri, yenagoa Bayelsa state and  Dr Ritbul Jacob, Plateau State specialist hospital.