Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital (ABUADTH) has trained 300 of its workers in partnership with a United States agency, Project CURE, to tackle child mortality. This training was held on Tuesday, 6th July, 2021 at the Conference Hall of the University Teaching Hospital.
The training tagged: ‘Helping a Baby Breathe,’ was borne out of the desire to reduce motherless babies and high number of orphans caused by child mortality.
Speaking at a dinner at the weekend for officials of Project CURE, the founder of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado-Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, hailed the health agency for assistance to medical institutions in Africa and the developing world.
He praised the President/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Dr. Douglas Jackson, for believing in humanity.
Babalola said: “Project CURE has been of immense benefits to African nations. It has given over 300 sophisticated equipment to hospitals in Africa.
“We thank Project CURE for this partnership. It will help in exposing our experts in modern techniques of making a child survive after birth.
“We decided to partner you, because this university was established to make a difference in Nigeria and we assure you that we will extend the knowledge gained to other areas of Ekiti.”
After presenting certificates of participation to the participants, Dr. Ramos said the first minute of a baby after its birth called golden minute was crucial for its survival.
He urged experts to use the techniques to help the baby breathe, to reduce child mortality.
Ramos added: “Project CURE is committed to improving the well-being of the people. This is why this partnership is going to be a long term one.
“This helping the baby to survive initiative is a crucial aspect of medicine. It goes along with making mothers survive during labour. The two are like Siamese twins.
“We thank ABUAD for going beyond the shores of Nigeria to seek help on how to improve the health sector, because it remains the most crucial aspect of medicine.
“We want the experts to spread the gospel by teaching others the new technique in making a baby survive, by making them jettison the old style of slapping or turning babies upside down for them to take the first breathe.”
The Provost, College of Health Sciences, Prof. Rotimi Sanya, said the initiative became important on the premise that not all babies could breathe after delivery, except they were aided medically.
The dinner was attended by the Project CURE team led by Dr. Carlos Ramos and Dr. Lee Jones.