Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) popularly known as Doctors Without Borders, on Friday, raised the alarm over rise in the number of malnourished children, saying it admits over 400 on a daily basis in Kebbi State.
MSF attributed the rise in the number of malnourished children to limited access to healthcare, high inflation, poverty, desertification and low agriculture productivity during planting season.
It stated that it was imperative that more non-governmental agencies and other international organisations intervened because the surge was overwhelming.
MSF senior medical Doctor, Hamza Bello, who is in charge of Maiyama ITFC Main Centre in Kebbi, disclosed that since many parents heard about the free medical services being delivered by the organisation, they had been trekking about 100km to the centre to get their malnourished babies treated.
According to him, “There is unprecedented increase in the number of malnourished children. Over 400 per day in some cases. August used to be the peak and the situation may get worse.”
Bello added that MSF is the only international organisation treating Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in the state.
“We are overwhelmed by the situation and there is urgent need for multi -actor support,” he said.
He disclosed that in 2022, 2,652 inpatients were recorded, in 2024, 51,139 malnourished babies were treated under severe acute malnourition (SAM ) and 9,747 under moderate acute malnutrition (MAM), while in 2024, 51,139 patients were recorded, translating into five times of the previous years.
Doctor Bello said in 2025, within weeks 1,494 and 1,647 patients were on admission which compelled the organization to expands its beds space.
He appealed to other international organizations to come and rescue of the malnourished babies “as the state Government is trying to complement their efforts to curb the surge”.
