The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is treating about 5,076 patient-children aged between six and 59 months, who are suffering from malnutrition in Kano.
The treatment, which includes medication and feeding, are free.
When The Nation visited the Ambulatory Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ATFC) at Ugwan Uku Primary Healthcare Centre, along Zaria Road, the admissions this year had increased by 65 percent when compared with the first quarter of last year when 3,401 patients were admitted.
“The In-patient Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ITFC) admitted 3,691 patients last year. In the first quarter of 2024, we admitted 352 patients, and in the same period this year, we have admitted 732 – about 48% increase.
“Mortality in ITFC for the first quarter is 5 percent. In the ATFC, the cure rate is 89 percent while mortality is 0 percent,” Dr Anthony Mbarga, the Project Medical Referent MSF, Kano Project, said.
The MSF, also referred to as doctors without borders, had one centre for both ATFC and ITFC when the medical humanitarian organisation first came to Kano in 2022. But the increase in malnutrition cases has forced it to now have three ATFC centres and two ITFC centres.
They started with 55 beds, but as at last month, they had to increase the hospital beds to 178.
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Dr. Mbarga explained that the ATFC is where children who are malnourished but are without complications are treated for the management of malnutrition, while the ITFC handles malnourished patients with severe cases.
Dr. Mbarga said MSF is not standing alone for the medical project; it is also supporting the state ministry of Health, while giving advice to mothers about hygiene and what to give their babies to prevent malnutrition.
At the Ungwan Uku centre, The Nation visited the Green Ward (non-emergency cases), Yellow (priority cases for admission) and Red Ward, where emergency cases with severe ailments are stabilised.