By Asma’u Ahmad
The Federal Government has provided 10 incubators, 20 Phototherapy machines and two ambulances to the Neonatal Department of National Hospital Abuja.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), Mrs Adejoke Adefulire, who made the presentation at the National Hospital, said the government had a mandate to ensure safety of lives.
Adefulire said the directive which was given by President Muhammadu Buhari, was to ensure that the rate of infant and maternal mortality reduced drastically in the country.
Mrs Adejoke Adefulire
“The presentation of 10 incubators, 20 Phototherapy machines and two ambulances to the neonatal department of National Hospital is to compliment the effort of the hospital and the Ministry of Health.
“The equipment is meant to save the lives of many babies delivered both in the hospitals and those referred to the hospital. The ambulances will also be used for pregnant women, patients as well as referrals from other hospitals during emergencies.
“The joy of every mother after carrying her pregnancy for nine months is to carry a healthy baby in her hands, and this is our concern as a government,” she said.
Adefulire noted that similar equipment were donated to other hospitals in Abuja and other states which include, Lagos, Oyo, and Kano among others.
She said the government had also intensified its effort in ensuring that immunisation of children from zero to five years was ongoing and would continue so that the Nigerian child remained healthy and strong.
Adefulire called on private and international organisations to partner with the government in ensuring that infant and maternal mortality reduces greatly in the country.
The Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Jaf Momoh, who received the items at the hospital, commended the effort of the government in providing the equipment.
Dr Momoh said the equipment would serve the hospital and patients and those on referrals in the most needed areas. He said that the incubators and phototherapy machines were already in use for babies with low birth weight, premature babies and those born with several complications.
According to him, the two new ambulances will be very useful as most of the fleets in the hospital are old and needed to be replaced. Momoh added that the provision of the equipment to the Hospital was of great advantage, noting that the facility had specialists and experts in Neonatology to man the equipment and provide professional care to infants.
