Health
Nutrition council bill will raise standards in dietetic practice — Expert
Janet Ogundepo
A registered dietitian-nutritionist, Olusola Malomo, has said the proposed Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria Bill will strengthen dietetic practice, improve professional standards and promote the integration of nutrition services across Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Malomo, an Assistant Director of Dietetics with the Lagos State Health Service Commission, told PUNCH Healthwise that the proposed legislation, identified as HB 2659, could improve the recognition of dietitians at primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare levels, while creating opportunities for specialisation, continuing education and career progression.
“Every level of healthcare needs qualified nutrition professionals. From community prevention to complex hospital care, dietitians deserve a professional framework that supports competence, recognition and effective service delivery,” he said.
He noted that qualified nutrition professionals played vital roles in preventing malnutrition, managing diet-related diseases and improving patient outcomes, stressing the need for a professional framework to promote competence, accountability and quality service delivery.
Reacting to the proposed bill, Malomo urged stakeholders to engage constructively in the legislative process to ensure that the proposed council addressed the realities of dietetic practice across the country.
He said the bill could strengthen the recognition of dietitians’ contributions at the primary healthcare level, particularly in community nutrition, maternal and child nutrition, nutrition education and disease prevention.
At the secondary healthcare level, he said, it could create improved opportunities to strengthen clinical nutrition services, manage diet-related diseases and integrate nutrition into multidisciplinary patient care.
Malomo added that at tertiary healthcare institutions, the proposed framework could support advanced specialisation, clinical research, teaching, evidence-based practice and the management of complex nutritional conditions.
He further identified professional development as a potential benefit of the bill, noting that it could promote higher standards of practice, continuing education, specialisation and career progression.
On the quality of healthcare, the nutrition expert said a stronger regulatory framework would place greater emphasis on professional competence, ethical practice and accountability in the delivery of nutrition services.
“Better integration of nutrition expertise into Nigeria’s healthcare policies, programmes and strategies for reducing malnutrition and non-communicable diseases,” Malomo noted.
He also said the proposed council could help integrate nutrition expertise more effectively into national healthcare policies, programmes and strategies aimed at reducing malnutrition and non-communicable diseases.
Malomo urged stakeholders to use the legislative process to ensure that the bill reflected the needs of nutrition professionals and the wider healthcare system.
PUNCH Healthwise reports that the proposed bill seeks to establish the Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria to provide a regulatory framework for nutrition practice, strengthen professional standards and protect Nigerians from harmful or misleading nutritional advice.
At a public hearing on the bill, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said the proposed legislation should address a demonstrable need, establish workable institutions and provide a credible pathway to effective implementation.
Abbas said the success of the bill should be measured by its ability to strengthen professional competence, protect Nigerians from harmful advice and improve the quality of nutrition services available to the public.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Chike Okafor, also said the committee would consider submissions both for and against the proposed legislation before making recommendations to the House for further consideration.
The public hearing provided an opportunity for professional bodies, health practitioners and other stakeholders to present their views and recommendations on the proposed council and its mandate.
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