The Well Being Foundation Africa (WBFA) on Friday presented N0.5 million to a mother of preterm twins, Mrs. Fatimoh Akewushola, to cover her medical expenses after she was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH), Ilorin.
WBFA National Programme Manager, Mr Kehinde Akinsola, who presented the cheque, said the support is under the foundation’s Mama Care 360 NICU+ programme.
According to him, the gesture was in response to the request for support by a mother whose preterm twin babies were admitted to the NICU for treatment of jaundice and other ailments.
”Upon inquiry, we discovered that the mother has Hepatitis B, and the babies couldn’t get Haemoglobin injection until after 72 hours instead of the recommended 24 hours.
”We also discovered that she has a bill of N368,000 to be paid already, so we rounded up the figure for her to support her and bring relief to the family.
”This is because presently the mother isn’t lactating, so the kids depend on a formula that costs N19,000 per three days,” he said.
Akinsola said the beneficiary is one of the pregnant women who were lectured during one of its “Mama Care programmes,” where WBFA midwives engaged pregnant women on the dos and don’ts during pregnancy.
Head of Department, NICU KWASUTH, Mrs. Seun Bamikole, confirmed that the Mama Care programme has assisted mothers with WBFA by providing breast pumps and engaging in regular health education of pregnant and nursing mothers.
”The breast pump has helped in augmenting what the mothers can produce naturally, and the foundation also helps them financially.
”We have seen a change in the attitude of mothers, as they now see more reasons to prefer breast milk to formula and with the breast pump, they can express more,” she said.
WBFA Data Assistant NICU+ Programme, Miss Elizabeth Ebo, stated that the programme has achieved significant improvement, as babies in the NICU are now being discharged earlier, thanks to their access to breast milk, which was previously unavailable.
”The whole initiative is to encourage mothers to feed their babies with their breast milk instead of using formulas.
”For the sake of mothers with difficulty in lactating or breastfeeding, we provided a breast pump so that they can express their breast milk through it.
”With the provision of breast pump and lessons learnt during our classes, so many babies have been discharged on time because they have access to breast milk, so there is a great improvement for babies and their mothers,” she said.
Since its inception in 2004, WBFA has been implementing frontline programming, advocating for health and well-being, and championing sustainable development initiatives.
