The Cheif Medical Director of National Hospital, Prof. Muhammad Mahmud, has reaffirmed the commitment, dedication of management and staff of the hospital to effective health care dellivery.
Prof. Muhammad stated the resolve during the discharge of the sextuplets delivered on the 30th of January and handing over to the parents Mr Ifeanyi and Mrs Precious Nwachukwu, and other helpers in Abuja.
The CMD said that the successful delivery of the babies and their care was a good feat recorded by the hospital, as the babies the babies, who had gone through certain stages of care to ensure they are healthy, were given the best chances of survival by the neonatal unit of the hospital.
“It really says a lot about their commitment and dedication to practice and that has shown us that in Nigeria, we have people, the knowledge and skill to really do something like this.
“The doctors and nurses stood by these children and one amazing thing was the fact that they had to increase the staffing of this facility to ensure that these children really have the best chances to survive.
“The least weight of these children was at 850 grams and, within this one month, the one with the lowest weight had gotten to 1,300 grams, that’s 1.3 kgs. One of them got up to two kgs.
“We want to assure Nigerians of the resoluteness of the staff of this hospital to do whatever it is they can, to push the frontiers of healthcare forward to greater heights.”
Commending well meaning Nigerians for their support to the family, the CMD appeal for support from Nigerians so that the children would be given proper and adequate care.
The Chief Consultant Neonatologist, Dr Mariya-Mukhtar Yola, noted that birthing and caring for the sextuplets was one of the rarest occasions the unit had experienced .
According to her, all the babies had special health challenges thereby needing respiratory support, and support with sugar levels, temperature, feeding, blood and even infection prevention.
She also confirmed that all the babies had grown way beyond their birth weight, and the hospital had a strict follow up plan for them to support them.
“Ideally, they could have waited longer to gain weight, but because of the exigencies of society and the cost constraints, they were discharged early. But, again, they are fit to go home.
“So, we’ll be following them up initially twice in a week, and then eventually weekly and even longer times as they mature.
“There are still a lot of challenges ahead, because they are going to be needing more medication, some blood transfusions along the way. So, they still need a lot of support from people and well-wishers.”
The father of the sextuplets, Mr Ifeanyi Nwachukwu, appreciated the hospital for caring for the wife from four months into the pregnancy up till delivery, post delivery
until they were fit to be discharged.
He further appreciated well-meaning Nigerians who have assisted them, and appealed for more assistance, adding that more resources is needed to bring the children up.
“We really give glory and praise to God for a time like this and we appreciate all the amazing staff that had been there for us and all who have come to support us.
“We need the help of the teeming Nigerians and the amazing mother we have up there in the person of the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu. We have named the last daughter after her.
“We really desire that you come to our aid, the home that we are taking these children to now is a concern, how to sustain them to be good citizens of Nigeria is a concern, but I know that you all can help us.
“I know that we are not alone in this journey, the entire Nigerians, the government of the day which renew hope at all time, this is the time to renew hope for this family,” said the father.
The sextuplets were conceived via In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and were delivered at 30 weeks through Caesarean Section.
