Maternal and Reproductive Child Healthcare (MARCH Initiative), an NGO, has called on Government to implement policies that support health and nutritional needs of children with birth defects in the country.
The founder of MARCH Initiative, Mrs Olubunmi Aiyedun, made the call in an interview on Thursday.
Aiyedun who is also a pediatric nurse, described birth defects as a wide range of abnormalities of body structure or function that develop prenatally and can be identified before or at birth or later in life.
According to her, with over seven million newborn babies recorded every year in Nigeria, there are proportions of those with birth defects, hence the need for quality data and government policies.
“That is why we are calling on government, partners, NGOs and grassroots organizations to sit and produce quality data and implement policies that can drive interventions for children with anomalies.
“The government own the people, so they have the primary responsibility to make policies, because if we have policies that recognise children with special needs, then there can be interventions.
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“We need budget and policies that ensure the protection, promotion and support of every newborn with birth defect requiring essential care such as healthcare, nutrition, immunisation and welfare support, Aiyedun said”.
Speaking on prevention, she called on women of childbearing age to maintain a healthy lifestyle by reducing their intake of alcohol, and cigarette smoking, while avoiding early or late marriage.
Aiyedun further added that food fortification, supplementation and intake of folic acid could help reduce the incidence of birth defects by 70 percent.
She said this was important as defects could occur at any stage of pregnancy, however, most birth defects happen within the first three months of pregnancy, when the organs of the baby are forming.
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Aiyedun further listed some of the defects, which include; cleft lip and cleft palate, where inside a child’s mouth was not completely formed, with the roof of the mouth opened.
Also, Spina bifida is a defect, where there is an opening that allows part of the spinal cord to protrude, causing paralysis of the lower limbs and Down syndrome among others.
“On March 3, World Defect Day was commemorated globally, however at MARCH Initiative, we continue to raise awareness on the need to reduce stigma and increase opportunities for prevention and care for children with defects.
“We have recognised that there are special children born, who may not look like other children but have the right to be cared for, loved, supported and celebrated.
NAN
