Foundation trains nurses, Midwives on use of modern ultrasound equipment

*Donates eight VScan handheld ultrasound machines to PHCs

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), has trained nurses and midwives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the use of the Vscan Portable Hand-held Ultrasound Machine to ensure safer births among pregnant women.

The training according to the foundation was geared towards significantly reducing the Maternal and Infant Mortality indices in Nigeria by applying the right skills and education.

The organization also donated eight General Electric (GE) VScan handheld ultrasound machines to primary healthcare facilities across the country.

Speaking with journalists during the training at the School of Nursing and Midwifery Gwagwalada, the Founder and President of WBFA, Toyin Saraki, explained that the VScan Portable Ultrasound Machine is a state-of-the-art medical device that provides real-time imaging of the internal organs of pregnant women.

According to her, the deployment of high-tech portable ultrasound machines would contribute to the Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s progressive antenatal intrapartum and postnatal care pathway.

Mrs Saraki who was represented by Eunice Akhigbe stated that the midwives at the training will be equipped with knowledge capable of delivering quality antenatal and postnatal maternity care and counsel to an informed and empowered mother.

She expressed hope that the programme will go a long way in reducing the high maternal and child mortality indices in Nigeria and help in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal Three – by improving the knowledge base and skills of medical practitioners to deliver quality healthcare, specifically for women and children.

She said, “This idea is the dream of the foundation of ensuring that mothers, no mother dies during pregnancy or during childbirth and no child also delivered by that mother, should die.
If adequate care, and precautions are taken when they should be taking earlier enough no woman will die of pregnancy complications. Whatever signs or symptoms that are not right will be tackled on time to reduce Maternal and Infant Mortality. This is very vital and key for the well-being foundation Africa”.

“You know some mothers that get pregnant and they tell you they don’t even know what it means for baby, especially for first-time mothers, they don’t know what it means for the baby to move to kick in the womb. So when this happens and they have issues, they won’t know what to do. That is why this training is important. The training will help the midwives to educate these mothers on how to know when the baby is moving and when there are changes.

“Midwives are at the centre of taking care of pregnancy and any time we mention pregnant women the first health care personnel that comes to your mind is the midwife. So by virtue of this, midwives should be those that have access to scanning machines.

Saraki who observed that the aim of the VScan Portable Ultrasound Machine is to ensure early detection and subsequent diagnosis of women and neonates to minimise adverse antenatal intrapartum and postnatal complications, said, “With this technology, midwives can detect potential complications during pregnancy and provide timely interventions to prevent adverse outcomes for mothers and their babies.”

Participants at the training expressed delight at the gesture saying, it will go a long way in boosting their Knowledge on the use of such equipment.