‘We Can’t Cope!’ – MSF Begs For Help After 400 Starving Kids Admitted In One Day

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has raised the alarm over a massive surge in child malnutrition cases in Kebbi State, revealing that its treatment center admits over 400 malnourished children daily.

MSF attributed the alarming rise to factors such as soaring inflation, extreme poverty, poor access to healthcare, desertification, and low agricultural productivity—especially during the planting season.

The organization stressed the urgent need for other NGOs and international bodies to intervene, warning that MSF alone is overwhelmed by the crisis.

According to IReporter Online, Dr. Hamza Bello, MSF’s Senior Medical Officer in charge of the Maiyama Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ITFC), disclosed these troubling details during an interactive session with journalists after inspecting MSF facilities in Maiyama and Jega towns.

Dr. Bello revealed that the promise of free medical care has driven hundreds of desperate parents—many of whom trek over 100 kilometers—to the center to seek life-saving treatment for their children.

He said, “There has been an unprecedented spike in admissions for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), with daily figures surpassing 400 in some instances. August is usually our peak period, and we fear the situation could get even worse.”

According to IReporter Online, MSF is currently the only international organization offering full SAM treatment in Kebbi, and the burden is proving too great to handle alone.

He disclosed that in 2022, 2,652 inpatients were treated, but that number skyrocketed to 51,139 in 2024, marking a fivefold increase. During weeks 27 and 28 of 2025 alone, the center admitted 1,494 and 1,647 patients respectively, forcing the expansion of bed spaces.

Dr. Bello made a passionate appeal for urgent global support, urging other humanitarian agencies to intervene and assist malnourished children, while commending the Kebbi State Government for its complementary efforts.

”IREPORTER REPORTS”