Coca-Cola Company is set to launch a new programme tagged: “The Safe Birth Initiative” to support the Ministries of Health in Nigeria and Ivory Coast to tackle the high incidence of maternal and newborn mortalities.
Disclosing this during a courtesy visit to the President of
the Republic of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, the Coca-Cola Europe, Middle
East & Africa (EMEA) Group President, Brian Smith, said the programme will
focus on strengthening the capacity of maternity and neonatal units in selected
public hospitals in the two countries.
“With US$20 million grant from Coca-Cola to Medshare
International Inc., the US-based not-for-profit NGO will source essential
equipment, kits and supplies worth about US$20 million to enable safe
deliveries and post-delivery emergency care for both mothers and their
newborns,” Smith said. “The program will also include the training of
biomedical technicians and other appropriate hospital personnel by Medshare
International on the operation, repair and maintenance of the donated equipment
as well as the reactivation of a huge stock of faulty or abandoned equipment in
public hospitals which is a major challenge for the country’s healthcare
delivery system.
According to UNICEF’s 2016 State of the World’s Children report, 38 out of every 1,000 babies die within the first 28 days of birth while 645 out of 100,000 women die during or shortly after child birth due to avoidable conditions. In Nigeria on the other hand, about 40,000 women and 260,000 newborns (excluding 300,000 stillborn) die during or shortly after childbirth annually. For this reason, neonatal mortality is considered as one of the worst public health crises in Nigeria and a major priority for the Government in its resolve to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs. Read more here
According to UNICEF’s 2016 State of the World’s Children report, 38 out of every 1,000 babies die within the first 28 days of birth while 645 out of 100,000 women die during or shortly after child birth due to avoidable conditions. In Nigeria on the other hand, about 40,000 women and 260,000 newborns (excluding 300,000 stillborn) die during or shortly after childbirth annually. For this reason, neonatal mortality is considered as one of the worst public health crises in Nigeria and a major priority for the Government in its resolve to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs. Read more here
No comments
Post a Comment