The Ministry of Heath in Rivers says it is training birth attendants on basic ways of resuscitating new born babies as part of its effort to check infant mortality.
The four day training termed: “Helping Babies Breath Programme”, was organised by the ministry in conjunction with the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) and the Physicians for Peace.
This is contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
The statement said the state governor’s wife, Mrs Judith Amaechi, declared the training programme open and said that it would address resuscitation of babies having breathing problem at birth.
Amaechi described the training as neo-natal resuscitation programme for resource limited areas, adding: “the training seeks to teach techniques in neo-natal assessment and intervention to health workers.
“It would improve the skills and enhance the knowledge of health workers, who seek to reduce maternal and child mortality rates,” she said.
Amaechi, who is the ESI initiator, said that the programme would expose the health workers to signs of asphyxia and how to intervene at critical moment after birth.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Tamunoiyioriari Parker, said the importance of the programme in the reduction of maternal and neo-natal deaths could not be over-emphasised.
Parker said he went through trauma when he lost his son 10 years ago due to the inability of doctors to help the baby breath within the first few minutes of his life.
He, however, thanked the governor’s wife and the ESI for partnering with the ministry and expressed the hoped that the training would realise its objective. (NAN)