A teenager identified Mary Bassey abandoned her newborn
baby after delivery at Anderson Primary Health Center, in the creeks of
Calabar South, Cross River State on Tuesday morning, March 20.
The Director General, Cross River State Primary Healthcare
Development Agency, Dr Betta Edu, who rescued the newborn baby boy has
named him Anderson Ayade.
According to the staff on duty during the incident, Mrs
Elizabeth Offiong, a Chief Community Health Officer said on her arrival
at the health center by 7.35am she met a young teenage girl at the door
post of the facility lamenting over lower abdominal pains.
"I thought it was an infection because most teenage girls here have STIs and will usually reject condom. but when she was examined, I found out the young girl was pregnant and was passing through labour. Not quite long, she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy in our ward says Madam Elizabeth.
Madam Elizabeth said after giving birth the teenage girl
refused to undergo series of tests as she outrightly rejected the food
bought for her. She refused all our offers to treat her and rather
insisted that she doesn't want the child.
Mrs Elizabeth also stated that the teenage girl who gave
her name as Mary Bassey residing at No.5 Edem Nsa Street threatened to
dump the baby in the gutter if the Government does not take ownership of
the child. All effort to persuade her to receive treatment was
unsuccessful as she quitely ran away and abandoned her newborn baby.
She noted that all trace to locate the residential address
given by the teenage mother became unfruitful as such address and name
did not exist in Bayside, Calabar South LGA.
Reacting to the incident, while on a visit to calabar south
creeks, the Director General of Cross River State Primary Healthcare
Development Agency, Dr Betta Edu said she thank God that the teenager
managed to even come to the health center to deliver the child rather
than delivering at home and dumping her in a bin or toilet that probably
would have led to the death of the child.
She noted that, her Agency and the State Government led by
His Excellency, Senator ( Prof) Ben Ayade believes that every child
deserves to live, and every child should be wanted and be planned for or
if you don't want to have children then take up family planning.
She said in Calabar South, the Cross River State Primary
Healthcare Development Agency is facing challenges because there are a
lot of teenage girls that are pregnant and most of them are HIV positive
and it calls for great concerns.
"We stepped up health SENSITISATION in this communities and health workers have been going for house to house mobilization trying to convince them to take up family planning but the have rejected Family Planning. The culture needs to change, our chiefs need to help us, churches and prayer houses need to join in this advocacy for family planning, this young girls between 11 and 17 need to protect themselves and abstain from sex where possible so they don't have children which are not planned for or unwanted in the society with lack of motherly care," said Dr. Edu.
Finally, she said the baby which has already been named
Anderson (after the facility) will be known as “ANDERSON AYADE" because
State Government will take over the support for the child till proper
adoption is done.
Following an thorough examination, Dr Betta Edu asserted
that the 2 days old baby boy is healthy and has been feeding very well.
She said the child will be undergoing another round of diagnosing in
coming days. She instructed the health workers to commence Anti
Retroviral Drugs to prevent transmission of any disease from mother to
child since mothers status was not ascertained.
The DG, Dr Betta Edu and PHC Coordinator Cal.South later
took the child to Department of Child Protection, Cross River State
police Command Headquarters, Diamond Hill, Calabar for documentation of
the incident and also informed Ministry of Social welfare.
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