Experts Seek Investment in Equipment to Reduce Infant Mortality
Maternal health experts have decried the lack of essential equipment needed to support preterm babies and called for increased investment in life-saving facilities.
They noted that, aside from major Federal and state government-owned facilities, it was difficult to find this live-saving equipment in many rural communities which significantly impacts the survival rates of preterm infants.
The gynaecologists emphasised that many Primary Health Centres in the country, designed to serve rural communities and bring healthcare services closer to the people, lack necessities such as electricity, incubators, and ventilators.
This shortfall, they said, severely impacts the survival chances of preterm babies in these facilities.
The physicians stressed that the absence of these life-saving tools in PHCs and other hospitals across the country had contributed to higher mortality rates among preterm infants and called for increased investment from stakeholders to improve these facilities.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), preterm birth is defined as the birth of a baby before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed.
The WHO categorises preterm birth into sub-groups based on gestational age: extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28 to less than 32 weeks), and moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks).
In 2020, the WHO estimated that 13.4 million babies were born preterm, representing more than one in ten births, while 900,000 children died in 2019 due to complications associated with preterm birth, and many survivors face lifelong disabilities.
The experts emphasised that three-quarters of preterm deaths could be prevented with existing, cost-effective interventions.
A Consultant Pediatrician at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital in Nnewi, Anambra State, Dr. Sylvia Echendu, explained that while the complications leading to preterm deaths are well-understood, they are primarily due to a lack of essential equipment and skilled professionals.
Echendu explained that many preterm babies die in remote villages due to the lack of necessary equipment.
She emphasised that government and stakeholder investment in healthcare could significantly reduce these preventable deaths.
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“There is insufficient equipment to manage these cases. Some hospitals lack vital resources such as oxygen, incubators, and phototherapy units.
“In some instances, preterm babies are placed in the sun as a makeshift treatment for jaundice in the absence of proper equipment.
“While this might be effective for mild cases, it is inadequate for severe jaundice, which requires a well-equipped phototherapy unit,” she said.
The consultant also revealed that in the entire state, only about two centres are equipped with ventilators for the patients who require this critical care.
She stressed that power supply is crucial, as these devices depend on electricity to function, lamenting that many hospitals where preterm babies are born lack the essential equipment needed to support their lives.
She noted that investing in equipment and educating healthcare professionals on neonatal care could significantly reduce the preterm mortality rate in Nigeria.
“Local facilities often do not refer preterm cases to us in time, and when they do, it is frequently too late. It is crucial to seek care in facilities equipped to handle preterm births to ensure the best possible outcomes for these vulnerable infants,” she added.
Speaking further, a Consultant Gynecologist and Obstetrician at Havana Specialist Hospital in Lagos, Dr. Ngozi Obiora, insisted that preventing deaths and complications from preterm birth begins with ensuring a healthy pregnancy.
She stressed the importance of equipping hospitals with the right resources and noted that if appropriate measures are taken before and during pregnancy, the need for preterm births could be significantly reduced.
On the importance of routine antenatal care, Obiora noted that WHO’s antenatal care guidelines include essential interventions to help prevent preterm birth.
These interventions, she said, involve counseling on maintaining a healthy diet, optimal nutrition, and avoiding substance use.
She highlighted the importance of fetal measurements and early ultrasound to determine gestational age and detect multiple pregnancies.
Obiora stressed that a minimum of eight contacts with health professionals throughout pregnancy, starting before 12 weeks, is crucial for identifying and managing risk factors such as infections, thereby supporting a healthy pregnancy.
SOURCE: Healthwise
