Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan
By Sam Akadoro Special
Correspondent, Sapele
Following the state government’s continuous effort to enhance quality healthcare delivery for sick neonates, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has promised to provide more life–saving machines for Delta State University Teaching Hospital’s neonatal unit.
The governor made the assertion during his visit to DELSUTH to lunch neonatal initiative network, where he commissioned telephone handsets, new CPAP and RET cam machines that were delivered to DELSUTH’s Neonatal Intensive Unit (NICU) recently by the state government.
Similarly, the head of Paediatric Department, DELSUTH, Blessing Okperi, while briefing the governor on the reason that birthed the neonatal network initiative, said the Delta State University Teaching Hospital Neonatal Unit is well equipped to level three stages to serve the entire state. Blessing added that having discovered that to ensure the hospital delivers dividend of neonatal service to the state, the hospital has to go beyond receiving patients with critical cases that are sent to them.
His words: “we saw that there is a lot of pressure on the neonatal unit and we decided we must afford the inspection of neonatal care across the state where all hospitals, both public and private in the state, will have a communication network”.
Okperi further stated that it has been observed in recent times that hospitals don’t have good working relationship with each other, saying an environment devoid of good harmony will not reduce the rate of mortality in the neonates.
In the same vein, the governor, while launching mobile phones provided for the hospital to aid efficient and effective communication, stated that during the planning of the hospital, one of the specialist areas that was strategically developed, was the neonatology unit, hence the unit was able to get the equipment. Uduaghan, therefore, advised that the facilities be used, especially the mobile phones, because with the use of mobile phones, effective communication can be made concerning infants with challenges at the point of birth and other related health matters.