LUTH gets new centre to tackle child mortality

The management of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has taken delivery of a new children healthcare centre to effectively combat the menace of infant mortality.

During the commissioning of the Olikoye Ransome-Kuti Children’s Emergency Centre facilitated by Lluvia Health Organisation, PZ Cussons and Premier in Idi Araba at the weekend, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Chris Bode, noted that the institution, with the reputation to handling tough medical issues, was impressed to have partnered the above institutions to reengineer medical services, especially as it relates to children. He noted that his establishment never refers patients, underscoring its pivotal position in the nation’s healthcare sector.

In her remarks, the Project Director Lluvia Health and one of the coordinators, Dr. Amenze Eguavoen, noted that the unveiling of the paediatric emergency centre was to cater for the health needs of patients, adding that her organisation had gone beyond equipment and infrastructure to actually look at the social and psychological needs of children and their caregivers.

She said: And that is something that is not typically catered for but nobody really thinks so much about how the environment affects the healing of the child but studies actually show that arts can make a difference to hasten healing. So what we have done is create murals on the walls. You can see there are a lot of drawings on the walls. We have used a lot of child-friendly colours, a lot of muted colours as well that promote healing.

“We’ve also provided bed screens to take care of the privacy and dignity of the client. The children and their caregivers when they are being examined, can be covered, not everybody sees what is going on behind the bed screen. Also we have provided monitors to check pulse rate, heart rate, oxygen level for each patient that is attached to without the nurses having to round around with figs and thermometers and all sorts….”

So that’s supposed to shorten time to provide services and improve quality of care. All of these have definitely been done because we got funding from Cussons Baby and Premier, our partners on the project. That’s basically what the project is all about.”

To the coordinator / consultant paediatrician and the hospital’s Head of Accident and Emergency Department, Dr.Yemi Osinaike, the project was
“an amazing dream come true. It is an amazing project that has been delivered which will significantly go a long way to help us reduce mortality that our children come down with in this part of the world. The thing that they’ve done is that they’ve created an environment where children can be attended to that will enhance the feeling, not only of the child, but the doctor who is taking care of him/her. It is a laudable project that PZ has undertaken and for which we are very grateful.”

He noted that with delivery, the hospital will now be able to cater effectively for the high attendance of patients from within and outside Lagos.

According to the Regional Africa Director, Personal Care, PZ Cussons, Jimi Taiwo, the gesture was consistent with his company’s commitment to bettering the lot of the citizens in its areas of operation.