Abia First Lady trains 100 caregivers on neonatal resuscitation, essential newborn care
The office of the Abia State First lady, Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu, last Tuesday in Umuahia embarked on the training of more than 100 caregivers on neonatal resuscitation and essential newborn care.
This was in collaboration with Nestle Nutrition Institute, Africa, Nigerian Society for Neonatal Medicine, Abia State Ministry of Health and the First Lady’s Vicar Hope Foundation.
Speaking during the occasion, Deaconess Ikpeazu said that through her pet project, Vicar Hope Foundation (VHF), she has chosen to bring comfort and hope to vulnerable persons, having discovered that there is great pleasure in promoting activities that would make the people healthier, stable and safeWhile thanking the partners, she recalled that the Nigerian demographic health survey in 2013 showed that of every 1000 babies born in the country, about 69 die in circumstances related to absence of neonatal care.
The figures for babies who suffer long term effects as a result of neonatal asphyxia are higher. This puts our country among a group of countries with unsatisfactory progress towards the attainment of SDG goals.
We must step up efforts towards the reduction of maternal, newborn and child mortality rates”, she said, describing the programme as one of the holistic approaches to reducing preventive deaths.
We must save families from the emotional trauma they go through when their babies die or become mentally deformed due to asphyxia”, she said, and charged the trainees to ensure they take the training serious as the burden of providing crucial intervention at the point of birth rests on them.
Earlier in his opening speech, chairman of the occasion and Chief Medical Director of Abia State Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba, Prof. Chucks Kamalu, said the over 100 participants who are also trainer-trainees would give impetus to programme in the state, adding that the essence of the training was to empower and equip skilled manpower who will take care of the babies at birth.
He said the collaborators had found a worthy partner in the person of Nkechi Ikpeazu especially with her interest on the destitute in the state, stating “she is a champion of the defenceless and urged her “not to be weary in doing good.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Organising Committee and personal physician to the wife of the governor, Dr. Suzzy Nwachukwu, harped on the importance of the training for a healthy child, especially in the rural areas and urged the participants to take the training serious.
According to Nestle Nutrition Institute, Africa, represented by its Manager, Anglophone countries and Coordinator, Sub-Saharan African Region, Mrs. Chioma Emma-Nwachukwu, its collaboration was in line with the mission and vision of the organisation to ensure that people in the state live longer.
Nestle, she said, saw a lot of passion in the first lady over health, hence the decision to assist her with the resources available, while the Nigerian Society for Neonatal Medicine representative and Course Director, Dr. Obumneme Ezeanosike, who gave a vivid account of the situation of newborn in the country, stated that 200 newborn that die every day was not because the country does not have the capacity.
He described the first minute of the newborn as “golden minute”, stating that the essence of the training was on how to reduce it.
In his speech, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Mr. Nkwachukwu Agomuo, expressed the commitment of the state government to the health of its citizens, hence the adoption of health as one of its pillars of development, disclosing that the state is one of the three states in the country piloting the training.
In his speech, the state Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who represented by his Principal Secretary, Engr. Emma Nwabuko, described the training as one meant to reduce the mortality rate of the newborn babies in the state, stating that his administration is health-friendly, and expressed happiness with the partners over the training.
