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Wellbeing Foundation Africa Leverages Global Partnership Networks to Save Lives of the Two Surviving Kwara Pre-term Quadruplets
Truly emulating the foundation's motto "Committed to Caring," the
President and Founder of the Wellbeing Foundation (WBF) Africa, H.E Mrs.
Toyin Saraki, yesterday 30th May 2012, personally saw to the
transnational procurement of a special premature baby formula—not normally
released outside hospitals, within a matter of hours to save the lives
of surviving quadruplets born at the University of Ilorin Teaching
Hospital, Kwara State, Nigeria, a Federal Government medical
institution.
On the 24th of May, 4 premature babies were born to Samuel and Joy Chukwukaelo weighing 0.9, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4 kg respectively, at UITH through caesarean section. Asphyxiated at birth, the biggest baby died on Sunday the 27th of May while the smallest of the quadruplets died on the 29thdespite the best efforts of the hospital’s medical team. The condition of the surviving two infants remained fragile but stable, and an SOS message was received by the WBF Africa Founder leading to the immediate dispatch of the WBFA Alaafia Kwara Twins and Multiple Births Assistance Unit which runs longstanding assistance programs at UITH as well as the Children’s Specialist Hospital Centre, Igboro—both in Kwara.
On assessing the situation, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa Alaafia Kwara Twins and Multiple Births Assistance Unit led by consultant Hajiya Serifat Abdullahi noted that the current needs of the infants included antibiotics, fluid, diapers and most importantly, a specially constituted pre-term baby formula. While most of these essential commodities could be sourced locally, procuring the pre-term infant formula presented a challengegiven the specialized nature of the hospital-use only product. Upon hearing of this heart-breaking situation which resonated with her own personal loss at childbirth, Mrs. Toyin Saraki flew into action from an informed position, got on her phones, mobilized her global networks, and urgently began making the fastest international procurement from London to Nigeria of the specialpre-term baby formula, which would increase the odds of keeping the two surviving babies in stable and healthy condition.
The mother of the quadruplets, a nursery school teacher earning N5,000 a month, and the father a petty trader, had little to no hope of acquiring this formula for her children, not only due to the lack of financial resources, but the unavailability of this formula within the Nigerian health system. Yet, given H.E Mrs. Saraki's urgent mobilization of the WBF Africa Alaafia Kwara who visited the parents at the hospital to assist financially and provide support for their essential needs, as well as her commitment to provide the formula to maintain the health of the surviving babies—which arrived today May 31st from England with the help of the world renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, hope is alive for this family at the Nigerian front line.
Timely assistance was equally rendered to the Chukwukaelo family through the generosity of the Kwara First Lady, Her Excellency Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed who visited the mother and babies, giving a donation towards the medical expenses and upkeep of the surviving babies. Thanking the Kwara First Lady for her prompt assistance, Mrs. Saraki said “WBF Africa commends Your Excellency’s initiatives in rural healthcare for pregnant women and children, and the prompt actions of the UITH medical team and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit led by Professor Olugbenga Mokuolu, foremost pediatric neonatologist. I know from experience that these are precarious days we harness all efforts to strengthen these fragile new lives. I pray that these two premature babies will pull through and I hope that others will extend their prayers and support to the babies and the Chukwukaelo family.”
The experience of this young family exemplifies the challenges within the Nigerian health system, the dire lack of commodities illustrated by the unavailability ofthe pre-term formula, but more critically the lack of information and engagement by pregnant women within the health services. The recent UNFPA report titled “Born Too Soon,’ which is championed by WBF Africa, highlights the growing numbers of pre-term babies and their increasingly high contribution to annual neonatal deaths globally and in Nigeria. The foundation has long advocated for essential commodities for MNCH, most notably the WBF Africa Integrated Maternal Newborn and Child Health Personal Health Record (PHR)© that is designed to empower women to drive their care while informing and guiding health care workers through a continuum of care for their clients. In the case of potentially high risk pregnancies such as a multiple births, health factors could be identified early and due preparation taken to minimize risk to both mother and babies.
The fast action of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa in the case of the Chukwekaelo quadruplets is also an example of Millennium Development Goal 8 in action as it highlights the importance of leveraging and strengthening global partnerships. A lead supporter of the United Nations’ Every Woman Every Child effort, The Wellbeing Foundation Africa is dedicated to saving the lives of mothers and children across the continent through advocacy and interventions to reduce maternal and child mortality. Through its grassroots networks, WBF Africa is able to physically touch the lives of those in need. At UITH, Mrs. Chukwukaelo will be vested with her own PHR©, putting a tangible tool in her hands that will help achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. To date, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa has been able to empower the lives of over 200,000 women and children with the Personal Health Record© and aims to reach 5.3 million by 2015.
Signed: L. Dada
Communications,
The Wellbeing Foundation Africa
On the 24th of May, 4 premature babies were born to Samuel and Joy Chukwukaelo weighing 0.9, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4 kg respectively, at UITH through caesarean section. Asphyxiated at birth, the biggest baby died on Sunday the 27th of May while the smallest of the quadruplets died on the 29thdespite the best efforts of the hospital’s medical team. The condition of the surviving two infants remained fragile but stable, and an SOS message was received by the WBF Africa Founder leading to the immediate dispatch of the WBFA Alaafia Kwara Twins and Multiple Births Assistance Unit which runs longstanding assistance programs at UITH as well as the Children’s Specialist Hospital Centre, Igboro—both in Kwara.
On assessing the situation, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa Alaafia Kwara Twins and Multiple Births Assistance Unit led by consultant Hajiya Serifat Abdullahi noted that the current needs of the infants included antibiotics, fluid, diapers and most importantly, a specially constituted pre-term baby formula. While most of these essential commodities could be sourced locally, procuring the pre-term infant formula presented a challengegiven the specialized nature of the hospital-use only product. Upon hearing of this heart-breaking situation which resonated with her own personal loss at childbirth, Mrs. Toyin Saraki flew into action from an informed position, got on her phones, mobilized her global networks, and urgently began making the fastest international procurement from London to Nigeria of the specialpre-term baby formula, which would increase the odds of keeping the two surviving babies in stable and healthy condition.
The mother of the quadruplets, a nursery school teacher earning N5,000 a month, and the father a petty trader, had little to no hope of acquiring this formula for her children, not only due to the lack of financial resources, but the unavailability of this formula within the Nigerian health system. Yet, given H.E Mrs. Saraki's urgent mobilization of the WBF Africa Alaafia Kwara who visited the parents at the hospital to assist financially and provide support for their essential needs, as well as her commitment to provide the formula to maintain the health of the surviving babies—which arrived today May 31st from England with the help of the world renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, hope is alive for this family at the Nigerian front line.
Timely assistance was equally rendered to the Chukwukaelo family through the generosity of the Kwara First Lady, Her Excellency Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed who visited the mother and babies, giving a donation towards the medical expenses and upkeep of the surviving babies. Thanking the Kwara First Lady for her prompt assistance, Mrs. Saraki said “WBF Africa commends Your Excellency’s initiatives in rural healthcare for pregnant women and children, and the prompt actions of the UITH medical team and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit led by Professor Olugbenga Mokuolu, foremost pediatric neonatologist. I know from experience that these are precarious days we harness all efforts to strengthen these fragile new lives. I pray that these two premature babies will pull through and I hope that others will extend their prayers and support to the babies and the Chukwukaelo family.”
The experience of this young family exemplifies the challenges within the Nigerian health system, the dire lack of commodities illustrated by the unavailability ofthe pre-term formula, but more critically the lack of information and engagement by pregnant women within the health services. The recent UNFPA report titled “Born Too Soon,’ which is championed by WBF Africa, highlights the growing numbers of pre-term babies and their increasingly high contribution to annual neonatal deaths globally and in Nigeria. The foundation has long advocated for essential commodities for MNCH, most notably the WBF Africa Integrated Maternal Newborn and Child Health Personal Health Record (PHR)© that is designed to empower women to drive their care while informing and guiding health care workers through a continuum of care for their clients. In the case of potentially high risk pregnancies such as a multiple births, health factors could be identified early and due preparation taken to minimize risk to both mother and babies.
The fast action of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa in the case of the Chukwekaelo quadruplets is also an example of Millennium Development Goal 8 in action as it highlights the importance of leveraging and strengthening global partnerships. A lead supporter of the United Nations’ Every Woman Every Child effort, The Wellbeing Foundation Africa is dedicated to saving the lives of mothers and children across the continent through advocacy and interventions to reduce maternal and child mortality. Through its grassroots networks, WBF Africa is able to physically touch the lives of those in need. At UITH, Mrs. Chukwukaelo will be vested with her own PHR©, putting a tangible tool in her hands that will help achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. To date, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa has been able to empower the lives of over 200,000 women and children with the Personal Health Record© and aims to reach 5.3 million by 2015.
Signed: L. Dada
Communications,
The Wellbeing Foundation Africa
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