Aisha, baby born with open heart, dies of infections
Baby Aisha Mustapha, born with an open heart, died in the early hours of yesterday at the Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
It was gathered that with the N2.5 million and N3m donated by Yobe State government and wife of the president, Mrs. Aisha Buhari respectively, baby Aisha was set to be flown to Enugu to undergo surgery in a Special Centre, which has partnership with UK specialists already in the country.
The uncle of the baby, Arama Mustapha, who broke the news of the death to newsmen, said he is heart broken over the death of the child. “I have just received a call from the mother of the child a few minutes ago that the baby is dead. She called me around 3:06a.m. and broke the news to me,” he said.
The Consultant Neonatologist at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Dr. Pius Simon, said the death was caused by “infections”, as the heart had overstayed outside the baby’s chest for over a week.
“The baby could have survived the special surgery, but the exposure of heart for about a week, led to various infections of other organs. This is a sad development.”
In his reaction, the Yobe State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, has expressed sadness over the passing away of Baby Aisha, who was born in Goni Kori village of Gaidam local council of the state with her heart outside her chest ten days ago.
A statement from Alhaji Abdullahi Bega, spokesman to the governor said: “The governor’s thoughts and sympathies are with Baby Aisha’s parents at this time of loss to them. He also implored the Almighty Allah to grant them other offspring from His Grace.”
The governor also thanked the team of medical specialists at the UMTH, led by Dr. Bashir Tahir, who worked so hard to help late Aisha recover from her ailment.
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5 Comments
So Univ of Maiduguri Teaching hospital doesn’t have facilities to prevent infection? And they couldn’t arrange immediate transfer to Enugu? Would they not have taken immediate steps to get the baby to Enugu or even abroad had the child belonged to some “important” person?
These are unacceptable lame excuses. When was the heart condition noticed? After a whole week, nothing was done and someone is talking balderdash. Another valuable life lost because of our poor emmergency management system. That baby alive would have worth much more than the wasted 60 year and 70 year olds who are still destroying our lives today which now includes that of this precious baby. It is a sad morning for me again. Another invaluable baby who would have contributed to the real change we have been looking forward to wasted just like that. Too bad. Let those millions that would have healed her be used to set up a foundation in her name. Other babies should not go like her. Let it be on record that Baby Aisha was sacrificed on the alter of poor medical management so that others may be saved. Rest perfectly in peace with the Lord because i know Aisha is in heaven riegt now.
More evidence of stupidity in Nigerian institutions and of its rulers. How could a hospital not treat a case such as this with utmost priority? Why does it take a whole week to transfer the baby to where she could be treated? Why does a hospital rated as a teaching hospital not able to protect the exposed organ while waiting for the transfer? Would this be the case if that child was from a Governor’s household or other important politician? The answer to all these is simply, Nigeria is ruined by rulers who care not an iota about its docile citizens who anyway prefer to praise lame leadership than challenge it. Life means nothing and matters litle to Nigeria. Shame!
This is what you get in a useless country, run by idiotic so-called leaders, with absolutely no comprehension of the roles/responsibilities (R&Rs) of their positions. Priorities of the rulers (and followers) are nothing but strange.
To be flown from Maiduguri to Enugu took more than 10 days. Oh what a shame!!!! Maybe as a result of Visa problem or Boko Haram – Shame, shame, shame on the leaders. The life of common citizens are not important, but the leaders are importing bullet proof cars for themselves, their own families and even concubines. If it has happened to them, the child could have been at Enugu or even in the USA, Germany, England, etc. the next second. Shame, SHAME!!!!!
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