By Hassan Hussain
The University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, has received a renovated Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU), labour ward and medical equipment donated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare delivery.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Tahir Yunusa, disclosed this during the handing-over ceremony of the renovated facilities and equipment at UATH, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Professor Yunusa said the intervention would improve healthcare outcomes, reduce delays in treatment and support efforts to tackle maternal and infant mortality in the country.
He described the donation as a significant contribution to the hospital’s capacity to provide quality healthcare services for women and newborns, noting that the state-of-the-art equipment had also boosted the morale of healthcare personnel.
The Chief Medical Director commended the Church for its humanitarian gesture and called on other well-meaning Nigerians and organisations to support government efforts by providing medical equipment, diagnostic tools and infrastructure for healthcare facilities.
He assured the donor that the hospital management would ensure proper maintenance and effective utilisation of the equipment to achieve the desired results.
Professor Yunusa also acknowledged President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for their commitment to improving healthcare delivery in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He expressed optimism that sustained collaboration between government and development partners would strengthen maternal and newborn care and improve the overall health outcomes of Nigerians.
In his remarks, Team Lead of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Christian Chigbundu, emphasised the need for Nigerians to embrace charity and support healthcare delivery by extending assistance to vulnerable members of society, irrespective of religion or ethnic background.
Elder Chigbundu explained that the intervention was inspired by the Christian responsibility to love God and demonstrate that love by caring for neighbours, particularly the poor and needy.
He said the renovation was aimed at improving the care of newborn babies and providing mothers with a more conducive environment to deliver their children safely.
According to him, children are gifts from God and must be adequately cared for, as they represent the future leaders of the country.
The Church Team Lead urged individuals and organisations to contribute to the welfare of others, no matter how small their resources might be.
He said the church selected the hospital based on the number of women who visit the facility for childbirth and its confidence in the hospital management’s ability to maintain the renovated facilities and equipment.
Elder Chigbundu added that the church’s humanitarian team would periodically visit the hospital to assess the condition of the facilities and ensure they were properly maintained.
He described the intervention as a significant contribution to healthcare delivery but did not disclose the amount spent on the project.
The high point of the event was the presentation of an Award of Excellence for Humanitarian Service to the Team Lead of the Church, Elder Christian Chigbundu, by the hospital management.
