The international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has introduced new strategies to improve access to healthcare for vulnerable populations in remote areas of Bauchi State by bringing essential services closer to communities.
The outgoing Head of Mission of MSF in Nigeria, Adam Ousmane Ngari, disclosed this during a chat with journalists in Bauchi. He explained that the organisation launched the Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) approach in eight villages within Ganjuwa Local Government Area. The iCCM strategy trains and supports community health workers to diagnose and treat common childhood illnesses such as malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea at the local level.
Ngari also announced the introduction of the “family-led MUAC” initiative, which empowers parents to monitor their children for signs of malnutrition at home. The approach involves teaching caregivers how to use a Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) tape—a simple tool that measures the circumference of a child’s upper arm to determine malnutrition risk.
He noted that transferring this role from healthcare workers to families enables early detection and prompt hospital visits, increasing the chances of recovery. However, he said late presentation remains a major challenge, as many children admitted to MSF’s facilities suffer from additional complications such as kwashiorkor, respiratory infections, and malaria, making treatment more difficult.
Ngari stressed the importance of early detection, given that malnutrition remains a leading cause of childhood mortality. In Bauchi, MSF works in partnership with the state ministry of health to tackle malnutrition. The organisation operates a 250-bed inpatient feeding centre in Kafin Madaki, Ganjuwa LGA, which can be expanded to 350 beds during peak malnutrition periods. MSF also manages three outpatient facilities in Kafin Madaki, Kafin Liman, and Miya primary healthcare centres.
Between January and April 2025, MSF treated 27,868 malnourished children in Bauchi, marking a 34.5% increase from the 20,721 children treated during the same period in 2024. However, hospital admissions dropped by 4.8% compared to the previous year.
MSF currently runs nutrition programmes in seven Nigerian states: Borno, Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi. The organisation operates ten inpatient facilities and over thirty outpatient feeding centres across these states to care for children with moderate and severe malnutrition.
