Pregnancy is one of the most precious moments in a woman’s
life. However, the time of delivery raises questions for the to-be mother on
her safety and that of her baby.
In comparison to other parts of the world, Africa’s
population seems to increase than decrease which gives most African countries
45% citizens within the youth demography. Unfortunately, a lot of these
new mothers are from rural areas and have little access to proper health care
whether in faculty or even skilled personnel to manage the birthing
process.
The 2015 WHO report revealed that approximately over 800
women die from preventable cases related to pregnancy and childbirth every day.
Such high deaths occur in the first few weeks of life registering cases of
pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and neonatal cases and the quality of maternal
care. This is rampant in developing countries including Nigeria and other
countries in Africa.
In 2008, the Government of Ghana declared maternal mortality
as a national emergency and developed an MDG acceleration framework. In Togo,
the WHO 2013 reports showed that 44% neonatal deaths occurred within the first
24hours of delivery. Now, albeit slow, there is a continuum progress to reduce
maternal and neonatal deaths.
The question possess itself; is it possible that one product
could absolutely solve several issues associated with risk of infectious
diseases during delivery? I do not mean every problem, like some herbal
medicines claim to achieve during their marketing gimmicks.
This is what Nigerian sanitary products manufacturer, Wemy
Industries have embarked upon within Nigeria and is rapidly extending to
different parts of Africa. With their innovative product, the Nightingale
Underlay also popular known as the Underpad is making efforts to eradicate the
scourge of maternal and infant mortality during delivery.
According to Morgan Obona, General Manager Export for Wemy
Industries. “Outside Nigeria, the reception has been positive. In terms of
healthcare delivery system, it is an innovative device as it does not allow any
biological fluid escape”. On the heels of such feedback, the company is scaling
up quickly to meet the international demand across other parts Africa.
Nightingale Towel Underpads are padded mats with waterproof
and leak proof backing, quilted for comfort placed directly under the delivering
mother. The product helps to contain bodily fluids from the mother during
delivery, disposable and makes the post-natal cleaning fast and less rigorous.
It can also be in the hospital over the weighing scale to comfort the naked
child over the cold scale and also at home in the baby’s cot.
