By Daniel Tyokua
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated neonatal equipment to Asokoro Districts and Nyanya General hospitals.
Receiving the machines for newborn at a brief handover ceremony, yesterday at Asokoro Hospital, the Director General, FCT Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Mohammed Kawu, said the equipment will go a long way in reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality in the hospitals, Federal Capital Territory and the country in general.
Kawu said: “although the benefiting hospitals already have similar equipment for managing neurones before now, but we appreciate this support a lot which are really modern high tech equipment from USAID.
“There are other support that the FCT Administration provides through its procurement and budgetary provisions and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) sources”.
On her part, the Chief Medical Director, Asokoro hospital, Dr Afiomah Uche, revealed that what the hospital received from USAID was critical medical equipment that will assist the health personnel to ensure accelerated reduction of new born and prenatal mortal and morbidity.
She explained that it will also help to boost the capacity of the facility, in giving care to babies less than 30 days, delivered to mothers within and outside the hospital, as the equipment will be used to look after them.
According to her, “the donation has already increases the hospital’s bed space to twelve beds, and is adding value to the facility that serves as a regional reference centre, which gets admissions from outside Federal Capital Centre and neighbouring states, in oder to get the care at an affordable cost
“We have received equipment for treatment of jaundice, we have warmers to keep babies warm; syringe pumps, and deliver drugs to them; and other equipment in order to ensure that babies especially the very small and sick ones survive and are able to do well in life.
“The FCTA employees are highly trained personnel who have been in neonatal unit, and they have neonatal capacity for many years, but receiving this equipment, we also received training, in order to effectively use and maintain them.
“We have them already, but the number has increased, so we ensure more families are going benefit from healthcare delivery in this facility.
Similarly, Chief Medical Director, Nyanya District Hospital, Dr Hadiza Idris Bage, said because of the donations made, more children of poorest of the poor are going to benefit immensely as they are going to get the best of services.
“The kind of donations made to Asokoro District Hospital were also given to Nyanya General Hospital, so the poorest of the poor will get quality services”.she said.
In his remarks, Director, USAID Health Population and Nutrition Office, Paul McDermott, said specialized equipment and technology are essential for
the survival of small and sick newborns.
McDermott added that specialised equipment, such as continuous positive airway pressure machines
and incubators – are often needed to support breathing and regulate an infant’s temperature.
He disclosed that scaled up training within FCT will be supported by USAID’S Integrated Health program, as part of USAID implementing partners’ collaborative effort.
“Today, USAID through its Momentum Country Global Leadership, Quality of Care (MCGL QoC) activity in partnership with NEST360 is providing over some specialized equipment to FCTA to help end preventable newborn deaths and improve the quality of care for mothers
and children in Nigeria”
