Alimosho General Hospital on Monday, took delivery of advanced maternal and neonatal medical equipment donated by MEDSHARE in conjunction with Coca-Cola Company under the safe birth initiative.
Receiving the equipment on behalf of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the hospital complex, the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folashade Jaji, commended MEDSHARE and Coca-Cola for the initiative aimed at strengthening the government’s capacity in addressing the issue of maternal and newborn mortality.
The Governor noted that the rate of maternal and newborn mortality in the country was still significantly high and called for concerted efforts among all stakeholders, saying that “Achieving a significant reduction in preventable pregnancy-related deaths is one of the key goals of the health pillar component of our T.H.E.M.E.S development agenda, which is to increase the capacity of the healthcare and infrastructural system to meet the healthcare needs of Lagosians”.
Sanwo-Olu also disclosed that the focus of the present administration was to ensure timely completion of ongoing Maternal and Child Centres across the State, in order to improve access to quality healthcare towards expectant mothers and newborn babies.
While underscoring the need for partnerships and collaborations in order to achieve more impactful results not only in healthcare but also in other sectors, he called for more partnerships and support from business organisations and members of the public.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Princess Adejoke Orelope Adefulire, in her remarks, expressed delight at the initiative as it highlights the goal three of SDG, which is committed to providing good health and well being for the citizenry.
Noting that the Federal Government is committed to providing such across the nation, she sought the support of the private sector and key stakeholders in bringing prosperity and progress to every community in the country.
On his part, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi voiced his delight and gratitude to the sponsors of the initiative for making the equipment available towards the improvement of a safe health initiative.
He opined that Alimosho General Hospital serves a huge population, hence the justification for choosing the hospital as a recipient of the donated equipment, just as he described the gesture as apt and essential.
The Director, Public Affairs Communication and Sustainability, Coca-Cola West Africa Business Unit, representing the Managing Director, Coca-Cola, Mr. Clem Ugogi, stated that the company took it as a point of duty to work with the SDG Office of the Federal Government and the Ministry of health to put an end to infant and maternal mortality rate in the country.
Ugogi noted that safe birth initiative of the company was their little way of ensuring that mothers and babies come home alive from the maternity wards. He, however, added that the safe birth initiative was opened to partnership with other companies, so that the initiative could reach as many hospitals as possible across the country.
Also speaking, the Medical Director of Alimosho General Hospital, Dr. Madewa Adebajo expressed his appreciation for the donations, stating that it will go a long way at ensuring quality healthcare delivery as the hospital serves as much as 50,000 patients every month.
He applauded the State Government for its support and Governor Sanwo-Olu for his passion in making Lagos a Smart Megacity, while reiterating the hospital’s readiness to ensure that the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of the present administration is attained.
Dr. Adebajo also expressed gratitude to Princess Adefulire, the SSA on SDGs to the President, for facilitating the donation as well as to Coca-Cola Company and Mr. Eben Armstrong, the Director of Biomedical Engineering at MEDSHARE U.S.A for organising a two-week intensive training for Biomedical Engineers of the hospital.
