Dr. Efunbo Dosekun, Co-Founder of Babies Matter Medical Centre (BMMC), a subsidiary of Outreach Signature Hospitals in Lagos State, has called for greater collaboration among healthcare professionals to improve critical care for preterm babies and enhance their chances of survival.
Dosekun, a paediatrician and neonatologist, made the call at the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) during a graduation celebration for twins born at 25 weeks and weighing 650g and 700g respectively.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), preterm babies are those born alive before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Preterm births are further classified according to gestational age. Extremely preterm babies are born before 28 weeks, very preterm babies between 28 and less than 32 weeks, while moderate to late preterm babies are born between 32 and 37 weeks.
Dosekun emphasized the importance of immediate and appropriate intervention following premature birth.
“What you do in the first ten minutes in the life of a preterm baby will determine their survival and prevent the baby from having disability.
“Caring for these babies is something that should be taken seriously, and understanding what I call the physiology of these babies is very important, so we don’t make the world a worse place.
“This is where partnership and joint work come into play among obstetricians, paediatricians, neonatologists and trained neonatal nurses.
“If you are half-baked, you can’t care for these babies properly. That is why we have a whole barrage of disabled children in our teaching hospitals in the country, which is a public health issue.
“Neonatology is a specialty that has to be stratified. There must be those who can look after babies with mild problems, those who can manage moderate cases, and experts who can care for babies with severe conditions.”
Dosekun, who is also the Founder of the Outreach Group of Hospitals, said the two preterm babies of Mr. and Mrs. Kunle Adeosun, who spent more than 14 weeks at BMMC, had made remarkable progress and now weigh 2.18kg and 2.10kg respectively.
According to her, the Outreach Group of Hospitals has saved about 260,000 children, including approximately 2,600 newborns and 600 preterm babies.
She described BMMC as an integrated advanced specialist centre providing world-class neonatal services and compassionate care for newborns requiring immediate and specialized medical attention.
Also speaking, Dr. Zainab Mudashiru, Co-Founder of BMMC and the centre’s Clinical Lead, said the centre’s investment in advanced technology and human capacity had strengthened its ability to provide critical care for extremely preterm babies.
Mudashiru, a UK-trained paediatrician and neonatology practitioner, attributed the successful outcome of the Adeosun twins to teamwork, the dedication of the BMMC staff, and the steadfast support of their parents.
“Here at BMMC, we have invested in technology to help premature babies, especially extremely preterm babies.
“One good thing about this is that neither of these babies was ventilated because we have advanced technology that assisted with their breathing, and this is unbelievable.
“The whole process of caring for them was not an easy task because of some other limitations that had nothing to do with technology, but we were all determined as a team.
“All the vital functions of the babies are perfectly okay, and we have educated the parents on how best to care for them as they leave the hospital.”
The parents of the twins, overwhelmed with joy, expressed their gratitude to God and the BMMC team for their professionalism, dedication and commitment throughout the babies’ treatment.
The mother, Mrs. Tolulope Adeosun, also appreciated NEM Health, a Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO), for ensuring that her babies had uninterrupted access to the care they needed.
“We have been married for 18 years, and we are grateful to God that we are finally going home with Ayanifeoluwa and Araifeoluwa after spending over 14 weeks at BMMC.
“We will never forget BMMC and NEM Health for ensuring that our babies are alive and in good condition.”
The successful discharge of the twins highlights the importance of early intervention, specialized neonatal expertise, advanced technology, multidisciplinary teamwork and strong family support in improving outcomes for extremely preterm babies.
