Early care vital to save premature babies — Neonatologist

By Sola Ogundipe
Early intervention and how quickly babies can access facilities equipped to provide specialised newborn care can mean the difference between life and death, particularly for babies born prematurely or with serious medical complications.
The warning is particularly significant in Nigeria, where newborn survival remains a major public health challenge. UNICEF’s latest country data puts Nigeria’s neonatal mortality rate at about 39 deaths per 1,000 live births, while the under-five mortality rate is about 116 deaths per 1,000 live births.
A neonatologist, Dr. Adegbajo Odedina, who made the call in Lagos, said timely and intensified antenatal care, skilled delivery, spe...