The Jay Foundation, a non-governmental organization devoted to ensuring that pre-mature babies survive has entreated Ghanaians to support the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) in Ghana.
The Foundation said preterm babies do not get adequate care due to lack of space, facilities, and essentials needed to evade infection, which causes death.
The Jay Foundation since its inception barely a year ago has made donations of about GhC 60,000 to NICUs in six hospitals in the country to support preterm babies, their mothers, and staff of the hospitals, including the Tema General Hospital, Nsawam, Korle Bu, Shai Osudoku and recently Keta Hospitals.
Items donated included vegetable, fruits, thermometers, weighing scales, baby wipes, napkins, sanitizers, baby clothing, amongst others.
The founder of the Foundation Naa Kuorkor Mayne-Eghan made this call during a donation at the Keta Hospital over the weekend.
“We appeal to all Ghanaians to support our initiative, little drops of water make a mighty ocean. Let’s all help these miracle babies survive, they didn’t ask to be born that way. Life is a struggle and they start theirs right at birth. The little we can do is to make them comfortable and feel the love and support,” she told Starrfm.com.gh.
Touching on her experience and the state of the NICUs, having visited six hospitals so far, she said “we have noted that the requested needs and problems are peculiar with all these hospitals. Limited space is one of the major problems with all the facilities listed above except for Korle Bu. But they also need an expansion looking at their numbers.”
“These problems include high infection rate, high mortality, no or little education on how to handle Neonates, less medical equipment, unclean environment and inadequate cleaning materials, inadequate NICU staff, poor ventilation, limited space for babies and mothers, no physical therapy at home after discharge to just to mention but a few,” she said.
She added: “As we always emphasize, these children are our future and we need to treat them as such. We will continue to be their voice until things improve at these Neonatal Centers and until the mortality rate drops drastically.”
The Jay Foundation created the necessary attention after a donation at the Nsawam Hospital where the maternity situation was poor, which caused the Member of Parliament for the area Frank Annor-Dompreh to donate GhC50, 000 for a new maternity block.
Municipal Grana Health Service Director Madam Perfect Titiati said, “I think that we have a great opportunity today to talk about pre-term births and also to just share in the joy that help has finally arrived.”
According to her, “over the years, caring for pre-term babies has been a big problem especially in our low resource setting. “
She noted, “Across the world, about 15 million preterm babies are born yearly. And more than 1 in 10 of these babies die due to complication.”
The Foundation upon request donated items including Digital Weighing Scales, thermometers, Dorsiflow, Cot, Pulse oximeter, Oxygen concentrator, Ambubag and mask, Oxygen tubes, Nasal pumps, Nebulizer machine and accessories, Drip stands Suction Machine, antibacterial Handwash, Kangaroo cloth, Cot sheets and Eye patches.
Food items for 70 mothers and NICU Staff included Rice, Milk, Beans, Palmnut, Eggs, Apples, Banana, Nkotomire, Abedro, Yogurt, Water and Drinks.
This was done with the support of a native of Keta, Mr Ernest Domie, Chairman of OBZ group of companies.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Senanu Damilola Wemakor
