NANFeatures/Vol.12/No.14/2018 (Jan. 12)
Checking the rate of neonatal deaths: The Edo example
A News Analysis by Joy Odigie, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
The United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) recently raised an alarm over the rate of neonatal deaths.
The fund observed that in 2016 alone, no fewer than 2.6 million children across the world died in the first 28 days of a baby’s life.
According to the report, the implication is that no fewer than 7,000 newborn deaths daily have been recorded during the period.
As large as the number of the deaths is, observers note that sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with highest neonatal mortality rate while Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa with highest number of newborn deaths.
They also observe that over the years, significant progress has not been made in checking the high rate of neonatal deaths, especially in Nigeria.
According to analysts, the rate of progress in addressing the situation has been slow due to skills gap, poor referral network, inadequate training, poor policy implementation and inadequate supply of neonatal death prevention commodities.
Concerned about the development, Mrs Betsy Obaseki, the wife of Edo governor, decided to change the narrative in the state by forming partnership with health stakeholders in the implementation of an action plan to reduce neonatal deaths in the state.
She said her initiative to reduce neonatal deaths would adopt the Essential Newborn Care Course (ENCC) approach to train health personnel involved in maternal and child healthcare in all the 18 local government governments in the state.
The ENCC is developed by Making Pregnancy Safer department of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which aims at ensuring that health workers have the skills and knowledge to provide appropriate care at most vulnerable period in a baby’s life.
The department trains health workers on how to use WHO’s Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum and Newborn Care guide for essential practice.
The trainees are made to concentrate on sections concerned with newborn care, providing up-to-date evidence-based information and management of babies with a range of needs in the initial newborn period.
However, Obaseki observed that the state had only 12 ENCC trainees but promised to increase the number to a level where their impact would be immensely felt across the state.
Speaking at the stakeholders’ meeting on Implementation of Action Plan on Prevention of Neonatal Deaths in Edo, the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, said the rate of neonatal mortality was a serious challenge in the healthcare system that must be checked.
“We must all join hands to address child mortality because it negatively impacts the economy in the long run.
“We are prioritising reforms in primary healthcare to address the burden of neonatal mortality.
“Part of our plans is to rehabilitate and reconstruct at least one Primary Healthcare Centre in each ward across the state by 2018,’’ the governor said.
Also, Dr Bridget Okoeguale, Programme Manager, Reduce Neonatal Deaths Initiative in Edo, said the project would help to address the problem of neonatal death.
According to her, Nigeria records the second largest incidence of neonatal mortality with a rate of 5.1 per cent.
Okoeguale, nonetheless, commended the Federal Government for training health workers drawn from various parts of the country on the ENCC approach.
“The project is lebelled No Pickin Go Die Again For Edo State and 12 health workers, who benefited from the training are billed to train 96 other health workers to be selected from across the state’’, Okoeguale said.
Commending the Edo government for taking a step to reduce neonatal deaths, Dr Ikechukwu Okonkwo, a consultant paediatrician and neonatologist at University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, said all stakeholders ought to rise up to checking the rate of neonatal deaths.
“Lack of skilled personnel to take birth deliveries in sub-Sahara Africa contributes to neonatal deaths.
“Training of more health care personnel, especially those involved in birth attendants in rural areas should be taken seriously,’’ he said.
Speaking on the need for the media to sensitise the public to why reducing neonatal deaths is imperative, Mrs Pauline Igbanor, the Zonal Director of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), called on the media to promote programmes on checking the rate of neonatal deaths.
She commended Mrs Obaseki for the initiative, observing that the initiative would help in checking high rate of neonatal mortality.
“It is not going to be an easy job but I think we will require the cooperation of all media houses in the state.
“I am appealing to my entire colleague to give maximum cooperation to help publicise this laudable initiative.
“We want to communicate the objectives of the project to different target audience that will require the use of local dialects, Pigin English and we want to make use of radio stations, print media and television stations,’’ she said.
However, Dr Asogun Izielen, the Chairman of the Finance Advocacy and Sponsorship committee of the reduce neonatal deaths project, appealed to philanthropists and well- meaning Nigerians to partner with Mrs Obaseki by funding the initiative.
Izielen said that the initiative would impact positively on the lives of the newborns and the entire society.
He also called on residents of the state to key into the initiative for its success and sustainability.
He emphasised that there ought to be accelerated efforts towards adequate funding and effective implementation of the ENCC life-saving approach for children and women’s health in the state.(NANFeatures)
**If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)