By Kemo Cham
Kailahun, one of the most deprived districts in Sierra Leone, has got a state-of-the-art hospital unit for the care of newborn babies.
The Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) was established by the government with financial support from China and technical support from the UN children’s agency, UNICEF.
The unit, which is located within the Kailahun District Government Hospital, was designed to provide expert care for sick newborns (from birth up to 28 days old babies), most of whom require specialised equipment to save their lives, according to a news dispatch from Unicef.
According to officials, the facility was established under the program: “China-Africa collaboration to accelerate maternal, newborn and child health in Sierra Leone.”
The Unicef news release indicates that under this same project, a second SCBU is planned to be established at the Sierra Leone Chinese Friendship Hospital, also known as Jui Hospital, in Jui, Western Area Rural.
Officials added that these two facilities combined will contribute to improving access to the quality of newborn care services in the country. They said it would also help to reduce neonatal deaths, which are currently at 31 per 1000 live births, according Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey of 2019.
This programme is also set to strengthen the network of four existing regional SCBUs and to improve maternal and newborn health services throughout the country, the Unicef report notes.
Minister of Health and Sanitation, Prof. Alpha Tejan Wurie, was quoted saying that the project was in line with his ministry’s priority to improve on the quality of healthcare services.
“The Ministry of Health and Sanitation under my leadership has prioritized improving the quality and range of health services for women and children, especially during times of health emergencies like Covid-19. With the establishment of these SCBUs, where we ensure availability of trained and competent staff, state-of-the-art medical equipment and medicines, we hope to bring smiles and joy to families who may otherwise have lost their babies who were born too early (premature) or too small,” the minister said.
Work on the SCBU in Kailahun reportedly started in April 2020. Part of the project also included provision of lifesaving equipment, drugs and commodities such as incubators, oxygen concentrators, radiant warmers, phototherapy machines, monitors, pulse oximeters, bilirubinometer, infusion and syringe pumps, hemoglobinometer, and glucometer.
An International paediatrician was also recruited to head the unit and to provide on the job training for healthcare workers attached to the Kailahun Government Hospital. In addition, a Community Health Officer (CHO) and two nurses assigned to work at the SCBU have received a two-month on the job training in the Kenema Hospital and Ola During Children’s Hospital in Freetown, which already have well functioning SCBUs.
Chinese ambassador to Sierra Leone, Hu Zhangliang spoke about the importance of the facility, while committing China’s continued support to Sierra Leone.
“The Special Care Baby Units will go a long way in enhancing the quality of baby care services in this country and help reduce neonatal deaths. Together with the strengthening of the network of four existing regional SCBUs, this intervention will greatly improve the well-being of mothers and newborns throughout the country,” said Ambassador Zhangliang.
He added: “As a reliable friend, China will continue to provide support within her capacity to Sierra Leone for the empowerment of women and children.”
The Kailahun SCBU, which I said to have already started admitting patients, has a bed capacity of 10.
Unicef said already between April and June, 2020, while instalment of equipment was ongoing, survival rates of sick neonates admitted in the Kailahun Government hospital improved “significantly” thanks to the skilled care and commitment of the newly trained staff in respect to the use of the installed equipment.
UNICEF Country Representative, Dr. Suleiman Braimoh, said the SCBU was especially important at a time like this when the country was going through the Covid-19 pandemic when “the best chance for a baby’s survival is at a well functional health facility, where the required equipment is in place and where competent service providers are available to attend to all the health needs of babies.”
“The investments which have been made to Kailahun Hospital at this critical time are commendable strides to closing the current gaps in the provision of better quality of health care for every newborn in the country,” Dr Braimoh added.
The establishment of the Kailahun SCBU brings to nine the total number of such facilities in hospitals across nine different districts in the country.
Figures provided by Unicef show that to date, more than 12, 300 sick newborns have been admitted in these SCBUs, providing a nationwide survival rate of around 80 per cent.
The UN agency said it has plans to support the Ministry of Health to reach a target of establishing 14 SCBUs in 14 Regional/district hospitals by March 2021.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
