Efia Akese (left), Founder, NICU Soldiers, with Dr Essel, and Ms Abaka (right)

 NICU Soldiers, an advocacy blog on Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU), on Tuesday celebrated the World Prematurity Day (WPD) at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) to raise awareness on the challenges faced by preterm babies and their families.

The event, which was under the theme: “Small actions, BIG IMPACT: Immediate skin-to-skin care for ev­ery baby everywhere” was support­ed by Ghandour Cosmetics Limited, a leading brand of personal care products in Ghana.

This year’s WPD celebration emphasised the importance of im­mediate skin-to-skin contact, also known as ‘Kangaroo Mother Care’ to all infants, especially premature babies’ right after birth.

Dr. Kojo Ahor-Essel, a Senior Specialist Pediatrician at the KBTH NICU, said babies born before term had difficulties in maintain­ing warmth, feeding, and fighting infections.

“Small actions like providing adequate nutrition, warmth, and care taken by health workers and mothers can have a big impact on the survival and development of the babies,” he said.

He lauded NICU Soldiers and Ghandour Cosmetics for supporting this year’s WPD at the KBTH and called on the public to end the stigma and discrimination against preterm babies.

“Most of the causes of preterm birth are not known, some are even be­yond the control of mothers. I entreat the public to show compassion and support for families of preterm babies and celebrate their achievements with them,” Dr Ahor-Essel said.

Ms Yasmin Mo­hammed, a Clinical Psychologist, also called for support for parents whose babies were on ad­mission at the NICU, saying that this would help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression for par­ents with babies at the NICU.

Ms Victoria Aba­ka, Brand Manager at Ghandour Cosmetics, said her company’s decision to partic­ipate in the event was part of its corporate social responsibility and commitment to customer satisfac­tion and safety.

As part of the event, Ghandour Cosmetics distributed packs of body care, hygiene, baby care products to parents with children in the NICU at Korle Bu. — GNA