World Prematurity Day: Group makes case for preterm babies

To help save the lives of premature babies in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, a non-governmental association, Born Too Early Project, staged a walk to the Lagos State Ministry of Health on Thursday to raise awareness and sensitise all stakeholders on the need to give early births in the country the best medical attention. The event was to mark this year’s World Prematurity Day celebrated on November 17.

The group seeks to help mothers with information and counseling during neonatal intensive care periods, as well as provide financial and material help to families to ensure more babies survive being born too early.

Speaking on this year’s event tagged, “Giving Early Births A Fighting Chance,” the group Founder, Mrs. Ibinike Taiwo Fajolu, said premature birth is the number one killer of children under five.

She said: “Every year, 15 million babies are born prematurely globally and more than one million of them die, while many face serious, lifelong health challenges. Raising awareness of this common and serious problem is the first step to defeating it.”

Explaining that the project was borne out of personal experience, she noted that many members of the group lost their babies due to complications arising from premature births. She related how she had a premature baby at 24 weeks in 2009, but lost it due to poor facilities and poor medical treatment and care.

“Outside the country, premature babies have 24 per cent chances of survival, while in Nigeria, their chances of survival are very low,” she said.

She observed that Nigerians are not doing enough to boost these babies’ chance of survival. She stated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has ranked the country as the second highest country with premature babies death in the world.

Describing premature deaths as preventable, she said solutions abound for its prevention and treatment in the country.

Fajolu, however, decried the country’s failure to sensitise nursing mothers at antenatal clinics on the possibility of premature births.

She frowned at the exorbitant cost of incubator care in Lagos, saying N20, 000 per day is outside the reach of average Nigerian families.

She, therefore, urged the Federal Government to boost childcare in the hospitals with equipment and subsidise incubators cost to save more premature babies.

Stressing that saving these children is important, she noted that Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Napoleon Bonaparte, Sir Winston Churchill and Stevie Wonder were all born premature.

“Imagine what our world would be like without such giants, who paved the way. How much potential genius and trailblazers are we losing through death and disability of preemies born in Nigeria?

Responding, Head, Lagos State Family Health and Nutrition, Dr. F. Adesewe, promised that government would provide administrative support to the group and work with them on sensitising the public on the issue.