AFRIBABY Initiative, an NGO on baby-care in Nigeria, has attributed the high infant mortality rate in the country to inadequate child health care.
Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas, Chairman of the NGO, said at a press briefing on Saturday in Lagos that babies were less cared for in Nigeria when compared with developed countries.
Okoya-Thomas said that babies were very sensitive and any little infection could cause grave complications later in life.
"For instance, some mothers bathe their babies with well water, full of dirt and mud, and if the baby has a cut and the dirt gets into it, it could become a big health problem," he said.
According to him, parents need to provide adequate care for their babies to ensure their proper growth and development.
Okoya-Thomas said that although government had provided some basic amenities, most Nigerians were not hygienically conscious.
He said that another impediment to proper baby care was that many people had more children than they could cater for.
The NGO chief said that many people erroneously believed that the number of children they had showed their affluence.
"In countries like Japan and China, there are limitations as to how many children you can bear due to the growing population.
“In most countries of today, you do not see them having more than two children per family.
"In Nigeria, we do not have such laws, but people need to understand that having too many children is a burden to the family, the community and the nation at large," he said.
Dr. Oscar Odiboh, Founder and President of the NGO, said that it was a platform to educate members of the public on ways to take care of babies.
He said that the NGO started a nation-wide campaign on better health care for babies six months ago.
Odiboh said the initiative had also stressed the importance of breastfeeding and the need to give six months maternity leave for mothers at the National Assembly.
He said that many mothers did not breastfeed for six months because they had to resume work after three months.
Odiboh said that the NGO had also sent a proposal to the National Assembly to make child bearing once in three years for women to encourage child spacing.
Odiboh said that the NGO hold a three-day baby-care expo on April 3 at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos.
He said that the theme of the expo is “Six months exclusive breastfeeding versus six months maternity leave: What options”.
The expo will be declared open by the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, and the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health Matters, Dr Yewande Adeshina, is also expected to be in attendance.
http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/18764/2012/03/10/ngo_blames_inadequate_child_care_high_infant_mortality_rate.html
