AN NGO, Tiny Beating Hearts Initiative (TBHI), on Friday donated an incubator, medical equipments and consumables worth about N3 million to Kogi Specialist Hospital (KSSH), Lokoja.

The Founder/Executive Director of the NGO, Mrs Petra Onyegbule, handed over the items to the Management of the hospital on behalf of the organisation in Lokoja.

She said that the initiative was borne out of her desire to alleviate the sufferings of pre-term mothers, and to give premature babies in state the chance to healthy living.

“The most traumatic experience I have had in life was when I gave birth to a pre-term baby at 25 weeks of pregnancy in 2009. I almost ran away when I first saw my baby because she didn’t look like a human being.

“But with the strong support of my spouse, she made it and living very healthy life. Since then, I promised myself that I will do everything within my power to support premature babies.”

According to her, Nigeria is ranked the second highest country after India with premature-related births globally, hence the launch of TBHI’s advocacy project was aimed at reducing preterm-related issues in Nigeria.

Onyegbule, who is the Chief Press Secretary to Kogi governor, said that her organisation had paid medical bills of pre-term mothers and donated relief materials to affected families in Kogi, Lagos and Plateau.

She urged relevant stakeholders to collaborate with government toward reducing neonatal mortality and morbidity by harnessing available resources to support preemies in the state.

“All of us must do our bit; we want people to know that it is doable, achieveable and practicable; with about N3 million, we have been able to put all these items together, “she said.

Speaking at the event, Dr Ahmed Attah, the Special Adviser on Health to Kogi governor, commended the organisation for the initiative, saying that the health sector remained the second top priority of the government.

“We will continue to mobilise resources within and outside the government to continue to tidy up areas of critical needs, and we will surely get there because government cannot do it alone,” Attah said.

Also, Dr Usman Zakari, the Chief Medical Director, Kogi State Hospital Management Board, applauded the NGO for the intiative, saying that government had recently employed about 2,000 health workers for effective healthcare delivery.

Zakari added that the board had set up a community relations committee, saddled with responsibility of engaging the communities to take ownership of public hospitals in their domain through active participation.

Receiving the equipments, Dr Wada Omale, Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital, thanked the NGO for the gesture, saying the items would be judiciously utilised for the targeted beneficiaries.

He urged individuals, private and public organisations to take ownership of the health sector, saying that the partnership would help to reduce maternal, child mortality and morbidity rates in the state.

Items donated included a digital incubator, two stethoscopes, two pulse oximeter, diapers, infra-red thermometer, olive oil, cannula, 2ml syringes, two paediatric ambu bags, soluset, plaster, hand sanitizer, amother consumables.

The organisation also promised to fix three non-functional phototherapy units in the hospital. (NAN)

– Aug. 31, 2018 @ 15:15 GMT |