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Tag: babies

Anambra gets c as babies of the year

For the first time in the history of Anambra State, there is a set of triplets to celebrate the traditional baby of the year. NWANOSIKE ONU reports that the wife of the governor, Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano, was excited to receive the triplets, describing their birth as a sign of good things to come to both the state and the family.

There were still fireworks to herald the New Year when an expectant mother, Mrs. Chioma Nwankwo arrived at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka, Anambra State at exactly 11:35 p.m. on December 31.

She visited the hospital to be delivered of her baby. Though she was aware that she had more than one baby in her womb, she had no inkling that she would be delivered of a set of triplet.

At exactly 12 a.m. on January 1, the first male child was delivered. It was a good omen of the New Year for both the family and the state.

As she was still writhing in pains after the first baby was born, the second baby arrived at 1:15 a.m., while the 3rd was delivered at 1:50 a.m.

Unfortunately, one of the set of triplet died few minutes after it was delivered, an incident one of the nurses described as the will of God.

Following the news of the early morning delivery of the triplet on the New Year’s Day; the first of its kind in the state as babies of the year, the wife of the state Governor, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano hurried to the hospital.

Represented by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oby Okeke, Mrs Obiano told Southeast Report that it was a sign of good things which the state would experience this year.

Mrs. Obiano said: “This is the best New Year gift to Ndi-Anambra because it signifies a New Year of bountiful harvest and progress for all.

“Triplets are wonderful to behold. Though I was told we lost one of them after it was delivered, they come with good tidings to our people. The birth of three male children at this period when resources are scarce shows the state is blessed.

“They have come to rekindle our hope and belief that God will always provide our needs. I have no doubt that our state will continue to prosper under Governor Willie Obiano.”

She, however, advised the mother of the babies which she described as bundle of joy to the state and the community to hold on to her faith in God who ensured her safe delivery.

One of the registered nurses and midwives in the maternity ward, Mrs. Rita Ifeka, told Southeast Report that the expectant mother arrived at the hospital at exactly 11:35 p.m.

She also confirmed that the two surviving babies weighed 1.3 and 1.35 kilograms respectively and were in stable condition.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Victoria Chikwelu, told Southeast Report that it was the first time the state was recording triplets as babies of the year.

This, according to her, was a sign of good things ahead, adding that the delivery of the triplets also qualifies the mother for a special award later this year.

Beaming with smiles, the mother of the triplets, Mrs. Nwankwo, who hails from Arondizogu in Imo State but resides in Awka, thanked Mrs Obiano for the visit and gifts.

She told Southeast Report that she and members of her family are joyful and thankful to God Almighty for blessing them with the triplet, even though she wished none died. She prayed that God should replenish the resources of the Obianos and that of the state for the gift items donated to her family.

January 8, 2016
Babies of the year from Lagos, Ogun, Abia, others

For a select group of parents, 2016 bore special tidings as their fresh-faced offspring began to emerge seconds into the New Year.

The bundles of joy unwrapped with a baby girl for Mrs Amarachi Bright at 12:01 a.m. at the Epe General Hospital.

But the opposite sex seemed determined to share the moment in the sun as Mrs Okunowo Oluwakemi’s baby boy arrived at the same time at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital.

Mrs Adeleke Abosede’s baby girl followed at12:03 a.m. in Ibeju Lekki General Hospital.

Delivered through the Caesarean Section (CS), Baby Bright weighed 3:25kg at birth. Her mother, Amarachi, is a teacher while dad, Mr Ngam Bright, works as a Laboratory Attendant at Optimum Medical Diagnostic Centre, Lagos Road, Epe.

Delivered through the birth canal, Baby Adeleke weighed 3.3kg. Baby Okunowo was also delivered through the birth canal.

At separate visits to Epe General Hospital, Ibeju Lekki General Hospital and Lagos Island Maternity Hospital where she presented gifts to the first babies, the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, commended the ‘lucky’ parents.

She also urged nursing mothers to observe the mandatory exclusive breastfeeding period of six months to enhance their babies’ health and appearance.

One of the greatest gifts of God to humanity is the birth of a new baby, she noted, adding that God neither forgets nor abandons his own. “The birth of a new baby is no doubt a sign that God does not forget or abandon his own, hence his magnanimity in making people flourish by enabling and allowing new babies come into the earth.”

She also urged mothers to promptly register the births of their infants and obtain the birth certificates upon successful delivery during presentation of birth certificates to their mothers by the National Population Commission. “This is in line with UNICEF advocacy over the years and which the State Government had championed too,” she said.

Lagos State Health Commissioner, Dr Jide Idris assured residents of the state that the state government had noted that “Many hospitals in the state are old, including the Epe General Hospital established in 1954 and the administration of Mr Akinwunmi Ambode is putting everything in place to renovate all the hospitals across the state”.

In Ogun State, a set of twins born to Mrs Foluke Sokeye, came at exactly 12:01 a.m. The babies were visited at the State Hospital, Ijaiye in Abeokuta, Ogun State by the wife of the governor, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, who cuddled the Sokeye twins and chatted with their mother.

Abia State’s first baby of the year, Miss Victory Chiagoziem Peter, was born to Mrs Onyekachi Peter Keke who, during a visit by the wife of the Governor of Abia State, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, stated that her baby was delivered at 1.55 a.m. and weighed 3.2kg.

Presenting gifts to the mother and her baby as well as others at the Living Word Mission Hospital, Aba, the governor’s wife called on parents to prioritise child upbringing from infancy.

She said that it was only by instilling good morals and training children in the fear of God that the country can raise a patriotic and committed citizenry.

The wife of the Osun State Governor, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola, also visited Osun’s first baby of the year born at 3.37 a.m. to Mrs Rofiyat Tijani at the State Hospital, Asubiaro in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

In attendance during the visit were Permanent Secretary, Osun State Hospital Management Board, Pharm. Omolara Ajayi, and the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Health, Dr Temitope Oladele.

Weighing 3.5kg, Ebonyi’s first baby of 2016 was born around 7:57a.m. to Mrs Loveline Okechukwu at the Mile 4 Hospital in Abakaliki. As introduced by Matron of the Hospital, Giorginia Ndulaka, the baby’s father, Sunday Okechukwu, a mason, hails from Agba in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state.

Also in Ebonyi, Little Chimazagom Christian Alegu, who weighed 3.8kg, was born to Mrs Cynthia Alegu and Mr Sunday Alegu at 8:35 a.m. at the Federal Teaching Hospital.

The wife of Ebonyi State Governor, Mrs Rachel Umahi, visited the first babies with gifts for the parents and babies. She also offset the medical bills of some of the nursing mothers.

Mrs Umahi expressed happiness at the safe delivery of the babies and said the births bore good tidings for the state.

She pledged that her foundation, Family Succour and Uplifting Programme would do more in 2016 than it did in 2015 to enhance the lives of women and children in the state.

January 2, 2016
How to tackle babies’ malnourishment

Many babies are malnourished. This condition affects their growth. Experts, think mothers need more education on how to breast feed their babies. WALE ADEPOJU writes

Baby Saratu Yakubu (not real name) was born underweight. Her massive head sitting on her tiny neck showed that she was suffering from malnourishment.

The story of little Yerima Hamzat is similar to that of Baby Yakubu. He, too, was born tiny. His frail body drew the attention to him at the Emergency Ward of Abuja General Hospital. His mother had rushed him to the hospital when he collapsed.

His mother is a peasant farmer, who manages to eke a living from her trade.

As a result, she needed money to pay for her son’s treatment.

The doctor said the problems arose because the babies’mothers did not eat good food during their pregnancies.

Their poor dietary habits may also have a negative effect on the babies’ intelligence quotient (IQ) because their brain development rests with the mothers’ dietary food intake.

Head, Community Health Department, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Dr Yetunde Kuyinu, said the nutrition of every child begins from the womb.

A poorly-fed foetus may have difficulty developing like those of well-fed mothers when it is born, she added.

This the scenario many babies find themselves in Nigeria.

Malnourishment is a common problem many babies grapple with, especially those from poor and uneducated parents. This is why they are worse hit.

They suffer from the condition, not because there is nothing to feed them with, but because their mothers are ignorant of what a proper feeding habit/practice should be.

According to the 2013 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), 37 per cent of children under-five are stunted or too short for their age. This indicates chronic malnutrition. Stunting is most common among children of less educated mothers (50 per cent) and those from the poorest households (54 per cent). Stunting is more common in rural areas (43 per cent) than urban areas (26 per cent).

Eighteen percent of children under age five in Nigeria are wasted (too thin for height), which is a sign of acute malnutrition. In addition, 29 per cent of Nigerian children are underweight or too thin for their age.

The WHO recommends that children receive nothing but breast-milk (exclusive breastfeeding) for the first six months of life. Only 17 per cent of children under-six-month in Nigeria are being exclusively breastfed. On the average, children between zero and 35 months are breastfeed until the age of one and a half years and are exclusively breastfed for 0.5 months.

Complementary foods should be introduced when a child is six months old to reduce the risk of malnutrition. In Nigeria, two-thirds of children between six and nine months are breastfed and eat complementary.

The Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices recommend that breastfed children age between six and 23 months be fed foods from four or more food groups daily.

Non-breastfed children should be fed with milk or milk products, in addition to foods from four or more food groups. IYCF also recommends that children be fed a minimum number of times per day. However, only 11 per cent of breastfed children in Nigeria are receiving foods from four or more food groups daily and receiving the minimum number of meals and just seven per cent of non breastfed children are being fed in accordance with IYCF recommendations.

Most parents, however, tend to connect their babies nutritional status to poverty because they could barely make ends meet.

But, this was dismissed by President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), Prof Ngozi Nnam, who said the problem was not because of poverty but lack of education.

There is great need for adequate nutrition in pregnancy and after childbirth, she said.

According to her, breastfeeding mothers must give their babies adequate nutrition for the first 1000 days of life to enhance brain development.

This, she said, is important because: “that is when the brain is formed and it completes its formation by the second birthday.

She continued: “And, if any nutrient is deficient during these first two years of life, the role of that nutrient will not be performed. There will be insults in the brain formation, that is, you will have gaps. Some of the cells might not develop well.

“And the worrisome aspect of it is that, it is irreversible, and the child lives with that malformed brain. That child will never do well in school or in any skill because brain controls whatever we do. The important thing is that, for these first two years of life, children should be given foods that are nutritionally adequate to provide all the nutrients required for proper development of that child, particularly proper development of the brain.”

Mothers’nutrition status, she said, may make or mar babies’ development, stressing that malnutrition is not caused by poverty but ignorance.

“Lack of education is the major reason many babies are malnourished,” she said.

Nnam lamented that some people erroneously think that eating expensive delicacies would stop malnutrition, adding: “Malnutrition remains high because of ignorance.”

She said: “For example, poor people, who live in rural areas, have access to fresh food, fruits and vegetables in their environment but they would not cook them for their family. They would rather sell them, not minding that they also need nutritious food.”

Nutrition, she said, is the bedrock of development, adding for an individual to develop well he or she needs to be in good nutritional standing.

President, Union of National African Paediatric Societies and Associations (UNAPSA), Dr Dorothy Esangbedo, said the nutrition of children remains a major challenge with the decline of exclusive breastfeeding in babies below six months in Nigeria to 13 per cent and 23 per cent of children under-five are severely stunted as revealed in the 2008 NDHS.

The improvement of nutrition, she said, would boost the immunity of children to withstand malaria and other diseases.

Esangbedo urged mothers to maintain exclusive breast feeding, adding that Nigeria is still on less than 20 per cent which is a far cry of the world standard of 35 per cent.

She said some countries in sub-Saharan Africa are already doing better than Nigeria.

This, she said, made Nigeria had the worst health indices in the world as the country contributes 10 per cent of 8.1 million world infant mortality of children, which die across the world yearly.

August 28, 2015
‘There’s hope for big headed babies’

There is hope for children born with hydrocephalus, a condition characterised by excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain, if they can receive treatment at an early stage, Head, Neuro Surgery Department at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr Femi Bankole, has said.

Hydrocephalus, he said, can occur in children and adults, adding that adults can develop the disease due to a blockage in the brain.

The consultant neurosurgeon said once the cerebrospinal fluid is not flowing and the brain retains its fluid it would lead to a massive head size. He said hydrocephalus in adults is more dangerous than children as individuals may not be able to cope with the problems, adding that late treatment of the ailment may lead to death.

“Anything that obstructs the flow of cerebral spinal fluid in the brain can trigger hydrocephalus. There is bleeding in the brain, stroke, meningitis, tumours in the brain, which can compress certain parts of the brain causing blockage,” the neurosurgeon said.

Dr Bankole said 90 per cent of children with the disease can function normally if promptly treated.

Founder, Festus Fajemilo Foundation (FFF), Mr Afolabi Fajemilo, said children born with hydrocephalus can now smile as they can get some level of support.

This, he said, was made possible by his foundation, which advocates prompt and quality health care for children suffering from hydrocephalus and spinal bifida in Nigeria.

Fajemilo’s first child, Festus, was diagnosed of hydrocephalus when he was two months old.

Fajemilo said he was informed by the doctor attending to his son that an urgent brain surgery should be conducted, adding: “As parents, who knew nothing about the condition, we started looking for alternatives rather than surgery. We were also worried about the child’s chances of survival having to go through a rigorous surgery in the brain. Festus was given various therapies, concoctions and herbs got from different traditionalists and herbalists, who claimed to have the answers to the problems; but all was a ploy to extort money and material items from us.

“Some clerics even advised that my son should not go through surgery, rather we should fast and pray that the massive head size will reduce. When festus was 14 months we became tired of giving him concoctions and settled for surgery through the help of the Lagos State government and Lagos State Ministry of Health.”

He mentioned massive brain size, down deviation or sun setting of the eye balls, vomiting, irritations, high fever, headache, delayed milestone in terms of development, high memory loss, person may experience bed wetting no matter the age and flat forehead as signs of the ailment.

“Patients with hydrocephalus also experience problem with motor co-ordination and are not able to hold things because of the connection between the brain and the nervous system. Early test given to children diagnosed with hydrocephalus are (CT) computer tomography test, (MRI) Magnetic resonance imaging test, which gives a clearer view of the brain,” he said.

He said research and discoveries made him understand that his son’s condition was not strange, and that like any medical disorder, people lived with it.

“The foundation was set up in 2006 to advocate for prompt and quality health care of people living with spinal bifida and hydrocephalus in Nigeria. It is also promoting their rights. We started to create awareness of hydrocephalus and spinal bifida to the public. The organisation initially started with seven families registered under them, but have above 100 families now who are being affected as their clients,” he said.

Fajemilo said: “Surgery does not bring cure during operation, shunts are inserted in the brain to bypass the blockage, these shunts are tube like materials inserted in the brain down through to the abdomen and it aids the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, releases the pressure in the brain and it begins to function normal. Patient with hydrocephalus needs continuous management.”

August 14, 2015
‘Breastfeeding is for babies, not husbands’

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]agos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof Wale Oke has urged men to stop competing with their babies to suck the wives’ breast. Oke enjoined the men to allow their babies to enjoy their natural meal.

He spoke yesterday at the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW). The programme was organised by LASUTH Community Health Department in conjunction with the hospital’s Pediatrics.

According to him, the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding are many.

He said: “When a mother breastfeeds her baby, it creates bond between them. It is also a natural family mechanism as mothers cannot get pregnant. Breastfeeding mothers do not have bone diseases, breast and ovarian cancers.”

Oke said the state has created an enabling environment for mothers with its policies to work and still feed their babies.

“Working and breastfeeding can go together if mothers try because it is necessary to have healthy babies,” he said.

Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode urged mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively for six months so that they can be healthy.

This, according to her, will prevent babies from coming down with childhood diseases, such as cough, diarrhea and catarrh, among others.

Mrs Amode, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the state’s Civil Service Pension Office, Mrs Ademola Olabowale, said medical science has made it known that breast supplies basic nutrients to newborns, adding that the breast milk remains the most important protein for babies’ growth.

“The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and mixed breastfeeding up to two years,” she said.

Breast milk, she said, usually helps to build the immunity for the newborns, saying it would protect them from childhood killer diseases.

The state government, she said, has reviewed maternity leave for women in the state Civil Service from three to six months, adding that Lagos State is the only state in Nigeria where men go on paternity leave to support their wives with the burden of raising a new baby.

Head of Department, Community Health Dr Yetunde Kuyinu said the week would help to improve babies’ health.

She said the WBW is celebrated every year from August 1st to 7th in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies.

She said working mothers can actually breastfeed their babies.

“It is a known fact that many of our working class nursing mothers face a lot of challenges combining breastfeeding with work either at their work setting or at home. They tend to stop breastfeeding very early in the life of their babies, thus losing the dual benefits breastfeeding provides for both mother and child,” she said.

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August 6, 2015
‘Stop abandoning babies’

The wife of the Niger State Governor, Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello, yesterday decried increase in the rate of abandoned babies.

She said act was the worst crime against humanity.

Dr. Bello, who inspected an orphanage in Minna, the capital, advised those fond of abandoning babies to desist.

She said the act had a repercussion that would haunt those who engaged in the “inhuman and ungodly practice.”

Mrs. Bello faulted the excuse of economic hardship being advanced by perpetrators and said nothing justified throwing away babies.

The governor’s wife urged parents to be patient, saying things would improve soon.

She advised people, who were not capable of raising babies, to avoid having them, “as there are no laws that say one must have children.”

Dr. Bello said there were legal and medically- approved ways to avoid getting pregnant.

She urged sexually-active people to live up to their responsibilities by ensuring the reduction of abandoned babies.

August 4, 2015
Club donates to babies

Nursing mothers at the Central Hospital in Auchi, Edo State were all smiles when members of Leadership, Experience, Opportunity (LEO) club of the Federal Polytechnic in Auchi (AUCHI POLY) visited the hospital to donate materials to new born babies.

The gesture was part of the club’s humanitarian services lined up to mark the lion calendar. Its president, Stephen Agbra, said the donation was to put smile on the faces of the less privileged.

He said: “We have the objective to put smile on the faces of the people in communities by ensuring we meet some of their needs. In doing so, we give our members an opportunity to experience leadership and humanitarian skills.

“It is said that every man should lend helping hand to his fellow man. We should always take up responsibility to attend to the needs of the people who don’t have much. The club provides a platform to carry out the humanitarian work. We render the selfless service to people and we don’t even expect a thank you from it. Our reward will come from God.”

The Medical Officer of the hospital, Dr Richard Ehigiator, praised the students for the gesture, describing it as rewarding exercise.

The beneficiaries are Mrs Latifat Abdulsalam, Mrs Rose Godsent, Mrs Mariam Zika, Mrs Rukayat Momodu.

The maternity ward matron, Mrs Philomena Aghughu, on behalf of the nursing mothers, appreciated the students for the gifts.

She said: “We appreciate your gifts to the new babies and the goodwill you have extended to this hospital. We pray God will continue to protect and guide you in all your endeavours. We appreciate other clubs and urge them to always visit us.”

July 16, 2015
Outage forces LUTH to expose babies to sun

The fuel crisis ravaging the country has paralysed medical and diagnostic activities at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba.

There is neither electricity nor fuel to power most life saving equipments, operate the theatre and intervene in emergency cases.

Neonates being treated for jaundice and other neonatal diseases, put in the incubators, are brought into the open air and exposed to early morning sunlight to give them warmth, with their mothers told to monitor them.

The Triage at the Accident and Emergency unit is a shadow of its frenzy and pro-activeness.

Hence operations slated for the week are cancelled. Likewise, most patients on life saving equipments are deteriorating or gone into coma.

A medic venting his anger said: “It is difficult to do any meaningful thing due to this crisis. General resuscitation is difficult as there is no light to do intubations or operate the suction machine.

“A male patient died due to severe sepsis because we could not carry out life saving interventions on him. It is so pathetic”.

Another source said: “We are trained to save lives. But it is saddening that after doing our best to save a patient, the patient dies because treatment is interrupted; it is harrowing to one as a care provider.

“Most of us trek and report at our duty posts. Yet despite the commitments, the prevailing circumstances are disheartening. The situation is so bad that we use torchlight and our mobile phones to ameliorate the sufferings of clients. “There are some tests and screenings that are power based, and since there are no light or alternatives, there is nothing anybody can do.

A nurse who could not hold back emotion added: “The experience is not palatable at all. We are trying our best in this situation. We are risking our lives and giving up our comfort to ensure patients are attended to.

“We trek some kilometers to get here or pay triples transportation fare. And last month’s salary was just paid last week.

“Some babies were brought out to the corridors to receive the early morning sunlight because there was no electricity to power their incubators. The sun rays will provide phototherapy. This obtains in all the units we have children being treated for jaundice. We have being doing that since last week, but the peak was today (yesterday).

“No new patients are being taken in. The Triage is coping but no diesel or back up power to assist the workers. This is not peculiar to LUTH; we are just exploring options to cope better.”

A representative of the engineering department said it was stressful coping with the situation. “We have gone round trying to ensure sensitive equipments do not break down and also see how we can power life saving equipments.

“We are drained of both human energy and fuel/diesel alternatives. The hospital is in blackout. To get diesel or petrol is a difficult task. Management is trying its best, but there is no hope for patients in the theatre, ICU or other sensitive units and departments unless we have access to power by any good means”.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof Chris Bode said his hospital is on top of the situation by providing skeletal services since the weekend.

“The stock of diesel and fuel diminished and we have been able to keep services up at the Intensive care unit (ICU) and the Neonatal ICU. We are awaiting delivery of diesel bought at an exorbitant rate to perform some operations slated and some other emergencies.

“As Nigerians, we have to bear the situation and hopefully opt out of the situation. The workers have been coming to work, some paying exorbitant fares just to keep the system running. Hospitals cannot close down be it during national emergencies or crisis so we are on, doing our best.

“We cannot shut down the hospital because the fuel or diesel is high. We must keep the hospital running, nothing will be grounded. We are trained to do our best and we must treat no matter what. This is a temporary situation it will end,” he said.

May 26, 2015
Saving mothers and babies

SIR: According to UNICEF report 2014, every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five children a day, that is 839,500 under-five deaths in a year. In the same report, 145 pregnant women reportedly die each day. That is 52,925 women a year. This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rates in the world. While these may be mere figures to those who have not lost a wife, mother, sister, daughter, or baby, the fact is that these figure are lives of beloved ones; a tragedy as many children have become motherless; deprived of maternal love and care which goes a long way in affecting both physical and physiological development of children. More so, many mother and families are rendered childless and broken.

Although many of these deaths are preventable, the coverage and quality of health care services in Nigeria continue to fail women and children; as they are inaccessible, unaffordable and insufficient. Presently, less than 20% of health facilities offer emergency obstetric care and only 35% of deliveries are attended by skilled birth attendants. There are 5.3 hospital beds available for every 10,000 Nigerians. According to the World Health Statistics 2014, our immunisation coverage is poor and improvements in the sector have not been sustainable. As at 2012, immunisation coverage for one-year olds is 42 per cent for measles, 41 per cent, 41 per cent and 10 per cent for DTP3, HepB3 and Hib3 respectively. Nigeria’s infant mortality rate dropped from 126 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 112 per 1,000 live births in 2000, and lowered to 78 per 1,000 live births in 2012. These are lower than the numbers in peer countries. Essentially, our health indicators on maternal, new born and child health do not match our resource profile. All of these shows the close relationship between the well being of the mother and the child, and the accessible and quality of integrate primary maternal, newborn and child health care.

Although analyses of recent trends from the various health interventions show that Nigeria is making progress in cutting down infant and under-five mortality rates, the pace still remains too slow to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing child mortality by a third by the end of the year.

The National Health Act (NHA) 2014 represents the best attempt to providing a legislative framework that seeks to comprehensively address the many challenges confronting the health sector. The implementation of the NHA2014 will contribute to the realization of the right to health and by extension the right to life for every Nigerian codified in Section 17(3)(c), 17(3)(d) and 33 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. The NHA2014 will establish for the country; a National Health System, which will define and provide a framework to ensure standards and regulation in the delivery of health services; promoting collaboration, as well as collective and individual responsibility among all providers of health services. Thereby ensuring high professional ethics and wider service delivery for the general citizenry; setting out the rights and obligations of health care providers; health workers, as well as the private and public health institutions.

The government especially at state levels must embrace the realisation and implementation of these law, by ensuring good governance in their public finance management; plugging resource leakages and ensuring their proper channelling to the provision and improvements of pre-and-post natal health facilities especially in regions of NO-accessibility to medical care. Poverty is a disease; ignorance is a deadlier one. There is vital need for increased sensitization and availability of information for the Nigerian people in all nooks and cranny on the ways to access and achieve quality health care.

• Ofoegbu Donald Ikenna

Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.

April 23, 2015
Two teenagers delivered of babies in custody

Two of the 14 expectant teenagers rescued from a ‘baby factory’, Nma Charity Rehabilitation/Motherless Babies’ Home, at Umunkpeyi Nvosi in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, by soldiers from the 144 Battalion, have been delivered of babies.

The Nation learnt that they were delivered of babies at the 144 Battalion medical facility on the premises of the army base.

A source said they were taken to the clinic immediately after being taken into custody.

The source said the mothers and their babies were in good condition.

Another source told our correspondent that the soldiers had handed over to the Ministry of Women Affairs, the other 12 expectant teenagers and six suspects (four men and two women), for appropriate actions.

The source said the police were intensifying effort to arrest the owner of the ‘baby factory’, Mrs. Nma Charity.

Efforts to confirm the latest development from the Ministry of Women Affairs were futile.

January 26, 2015