‘Healthy environment essential to optimal health, well-being’, Founder Mobaby Care, Adebola-Salami

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark World Health Day, issues borthering on the health state of the nation and it’s infrastructures comes to the front burner.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mobaby Care, Maryam Adebola-Salami through her brand created with all naturally-sourced ingredients is helping many babies lead healthy lives. A multi-potentialite with 15 years experience building and running sucessful business across sectors, Adebola-Salami is also constantly enabling other women achieve financial independence, which she considers key to women empowerment and eradication of domestic violence. In this interview, she shares her passion for the Mobaby Care brand and how it is addressing healthy living in our economy.

It’s World Health day. Do you think Nigeria has been able to address healthy living and health infrastructure upgrade generally compared to other developed countries ?
I have never left the foreshore of Nigeria for medical or health reasons but I know what Good health care mean and what it costs to acquire it within the country. Not many Nigerians can afford basic health care, Health insurance is not accessible to all and  when available, rarely addresses concerns that are mostly life threatening. Especially delivery and labor. You find that more than 40 per cent of deliveries are still done at home and in unauthorised birthing centres because many moms like myself cannot afford health care or do not trust the competencies of the primary health centres.  In comparison to other developed and even developing countries, Nigeria has alot to do.

The health care system and that’s why my Brand At Mobaby Care is doing its best possible to collaborate with ministries and parastatals to bring good health to urban and localised women in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, good health and wellbeing for all.

With World Health Day themed ‘Our Planet, Our Health,’ how does the planet boost healthy living in Nigeria and globally ?
Human life is well-adapted to our planet. A healthy environment is essential to optimal health and well-being. Conversely, disease and early death are often due to environmental agents called pathogens, both biological and physicochemical. Climate change, heatwaves, floods, land degradation, and the loss of biodiversity also threaten human health in a variety of ways, both direct and indirect.

In the face of the current pandemic, how do we tackle pollution of the planet and increasing incidence of diseases?
First we need to teach basic hygiene, reposition of urbanisation without neglecting the rural area, educate builders to provide drainage, demand good roads and Electricity that help the Small, medium and large scale recyclers and upcyclers to transform and transport waste for better use. This will in turn reduce diseases, its spread and reduce the influx of children and adult in hospital that are not equipped to cater for the defiecit of our hygiene. Changes in agricultural practices and clearing land for farming are often associated with outbreaks of debilitating disease.

Globally, an estimated one million premature deaths per year are attributed to known avoidable environmental risks. What is your advice to reduce this alarming rate ?
Four million children and babies die of diarrhea diseases from contamination of their food or water. Hundreds of times this number have intestinal parasites and debilitating diarrhea. It is estimated that over a million die of malaria every year, worldwide, among over 260 million cases. Most of these are children less than five years old. 100,000 African children die from cancer due to exposure to toxins from their food, drink, cosmetics and open air emissions. The lack of open spaces for recreation and exposure to natural elements, such as large parks with trees, bushes, and walking paths, as well as playgrounds and bike trails, is an important element in promoting ill-health and reducing quality of life. It is possible to take steps that bring down infant and child mortality while also improving healthcare for mothers, and making more education and employment opportunities available to them. All measures that raise the standard of living and reduce the mortality rates, among women and children also encourage global human and environmental health. Introduction of healthy meals to children. Incorporating all the classes of food. Their right proportion. Education on child nutrition and embracing the African skin and hair without altering it with toxic chemicals will make a great impact.

How can government practices help reduce air pollution, contaminated water and inadequate sanitation?
Environmental pollution has many facets, and the resultant health risks include diseases in almost all organ systems. Reducing air pollution exposure is largely a technical issue. Technologies to reduce pollution at its source are plentiful, as are technologies that reduce pollution by filtering it away from the emission source (end-of-pipe solutions; Examples of technologies to reduce air pollution include the use of lead-free gasoline, which allows the use of catalytic converters on vehicles’ exhaust systems.

Ridding our roads of vehicles with bad exhaust pipes and Co. Sanctioning manufacturers to embrace sustainable production and consumption. Encourage and provide free and prompt Waste Pick ups to enable easy flowing drainage system. Mandate builders to create and ensure free flow of drainage from block to canals. Road construction shouldn’t be commissioned unless proper drainage systems have been put in place.

What is your company doing to help encourage healthy living in Nigeria?
At Mobaby Care our driving force is the embodiment of Absolute Nurture and care for babies, children, people and the environment at large. We are an all natural solutions company that uses plants, plant extract and other botanical oils to manufacture  safe and effective body and hair care solutions for babies and children under 10 years. Our products undergo sustainable production, we encourage recycling and upcycling. We use only Naturally grown and organically bedded products to formulate our solution. We are child loving and earth conscious

How is your company commemorating the World Health Day?
We are visiting local healthcare centres in our community to educate and interact with new and existing mothers in the imorotnace of choosing Natural solutions for the children to further reduce the risk of cancer and other environmental borne diseases. Keep their environment clean to rid mosquitoes off thereby reducing the rate of Malaria and motality rate brought about by it. We would also be using our social media platforms to advocate the importance of this year’s theme, ‘our planet, our health’.