The Pediatric Consultant at the Ola During Children’s Hospital, Dr. Robinette Luke has said that premature babies accounted for most under-five mortality particularly in Sierra Leone, and a leading cause of under-five mortality globally.
Dr Luke made the disclosure on Tuesday during a radio discussion program held in commemoration of World Prematurity Day with the theme “Together for babies born too soon – Caring for the future”.
World Premature Day is celebrated to raise awareness about children that are born before the due period. Prematurity could be linked to various underlying factors or pre-existing conditions before conceiving pregnancy.
Dr. Luke cited that since last year the unit apportioned to care for premature babies at the Ola During Children Hospital indicated that out of over 500 babies admitted at the units, 20% (100 babies) are born prematurely with an average 175 deaths.
She said that aforementioned mortality figures is not encouraging because it still remains high, but when compare to the past years when premature babies are not care for and the unavailability of records of premature babies, “we can now boast of more survivors and survivors are increasing yearly,”.
Dr. Luke said that this is also made possible through the intervention of international organizations to boost the unit.
According to the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey, the infant mortality rate was 75 deaths per 1,000 live births. The child mortality rate was 50 deaths per 1,000 children surviving to age 12 months, while the overall under-5 mortality rate was 122 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Dr Luke noted that the Special Care Baby Unit at the hospital is challenged with incubators, adding that most of the incubators are not functioning. She said that the incubators require high voltage to function.
“We are also challenged with erratic power supply at the hospital which sometimes degenerate the operation incubators, oxygen concentration level machines, and the infusion cords. The erratic power supply many a times destroys these lifesaving machines,” Dr. Luke said.
She added that because premature babies is a leading cause for high mortality rate, the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (EFCNI), the first pan-European organisation and network to represent the interests of preterm and newborn infants and their families, in partnership with other organizations since 2008 has champion awareness raising to increase the knowledge of family member, health facilities and caregivers in dealing with premature babies. She said that most babies that are born prematurely do not survive, but if cared for accordingly their chances of survival would increase.
She attributed the cause of prematurity to several underlying factors, but the most prevailing cause in Sierra Leone is teenage pregnancy, adding that the mothers of most premature babies are teenagers.
Dr. Luke further mentioned that most elderly women gives birth prematurely because of swollen feet, harmful drugs, infection prior to conceiving the pregnancy and other related and health issues.
She said that most mothers have limited knowledge about caring for premature babies, adding that most mothers are with the inclination that giving birth to premature babies means that their baby is on death row.
By George M.O. Williams
18/11/2020. ISSUE NO: 7953