Nigeria (Commonwealth Union)_ Coca-Cola Nigeria has donated more than $500,000 worth of medical equipment to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) in Nigeria as part of its mission to reduce maternal and newborn mortality among the women in the nation. Under its Safe Birth Initiative (SBI) approach, the business has already expanded these measures to nearly five University Teaching Hospitals around the nation. These hospitals are the National Hospital in Abuja; the Federal Medical Center in Ebute-Metta; the Federal Medical Center in Owerri; the Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesha; and the Alimosho General Hospital.
During the donation of equipment to the management of UITH in Ilorin under its Safe Birth Initiative (SBI), Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ejindu, Communications Manager of Coca-Cola Nigeria, stated that the project aims to reduce the high rate of maternal and infant mortality during childbirth in Nigeria. She said that the project was initiated in 2018 to provide equipment and technical capacity building to Nigeria’s tertiary health institutions. The management expressed optimism that the firm will help bridge the gap between the availability of cutting-edge medical technology and experienced personnel to efficiently handle and utilize the existing equipment.
Ejindu explained about SBI and its services to the sector. “The SBI was launched in 2018 in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and US-based group, Medshare International, with a view to supporting and strengthening the country’s healthcare capacity in line with the SDG goals that relate to maternal and new-born mortalities,” she said. “This year’s interventions have seen top-notch equipment donated to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Rivers State, and the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano.”
According to her, before the opening of this year’s SBI, its social investment program had benefited more than 56,000 households and more than 21,000 mothers and newborns. She also added that as part of the mission, Coca-Cola Nigeria has effectively trained more than 300 biomedical engineers and 400 end-users with the knowledge and skills necessary to guarantee optimal use and maintenance of medical equipment. Professor Abdullah D. Yussuf, the Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, spoke at the ceremony and expressed appreciation for the prompt involvement of the Coca-Cola system in the healthcare sector. According to UNICEF, Nigeria’s current maternal mortality rate of 576 per 100,000 live births accounts for 10 percent of the worldwide death rate. This implies that approximately 262,000 infants die annually owing to conditions such as diarrhea, illness, early delivery, suffocation and congenital defects.
