Foundation Wants Govt To Establish Children’s Specialised Hospitals

The Down Syndrome Foundation Nigeria (DSFN), has urged Federal and State Governments to establish specialised hospitals for health needs of children to reduce mortality and morbidity rate.
Its President, Mrs Rose Mordi, also Consultant Paediatrician, gave the advice while speaking with the The Tide’s source in Lagos.
Mordi said most hospitals combined both the services for children and adults, saying that such arrangement might not create opportunity for the full and required medical attention to children’s needs.
According to her, for most healthy children, a paediatrician, family physician, paediatric surgeon or other primary healthcare practitioner are usually the main sources of preventive and acute medical care.
“We should establish separate hospitals for children, because the service we provide for both adults and children varies,” Mordi said.
She said that the specialised health facilities for children would reduce mortality and morbidity rate in the country.
“Many children are suffering from lack of good drinking water, access to good health system and their parents cannot afford to pay their medical bills.
“Free medical care for children from ages 0 to 14 will improve the nation’s healthcare indices, as it is being done in advanced countries.
“Both the government and private-owned hospitals management should focus more on building capacities and improving their services on paediatric cases,” she said.
According to her, we have since found out that childhood trauma and mortality are common in Nigeria, because many children lack nutrition and good health system.
Mordi said, ‘‘In Nigeria, we have enough resources to provide free services for all children.”
Another Consultant Paediatrician, Dr Odunayo Deji-Etiwe, called for the integration of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare into the treatment plan for easy access to healthcare for sick babies and infants.