A baby with the heart outside the chest wall is being catered to at Neonatal Centre of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Falmata, the 24 year old mother of the baby thought she had given birth to twins when she saw the heart pulping outside the chest of her new born daughter.She only realized that it was not a second baby when they got to the General Hospital at Geidam in Yobe State from their village Gonigori.
According to her, she never felt any difference of the nine months she was carrying the baby from the other three children she has already had.
She has also informed that she never heard of what is called ante natal services giving to women during pregnancy in her life, just as the baby was delivered at home with the help of traditional birth attendants.
But her husband said their wives reject ante natal because they are scared of what the men will do to them when he was asked whether he knows anything about ante natal care.
Asked if there is any medical facility close to their village, Mustapha replied that the only medical facility close to their village is about 10km but there are no personal nor drugs, so people have to travel hundreds of killomtres to Geidam General Hospital.
Mustapha, a farmer said himself and the wife make an average of 10 to 15 bags of grains per annum which they use for sale and domestic consumption. An income that wouldn’t obviously sponsor an operation of N3 million.
Support for the Baby
Investigation by our reporter has shown that Support for the surgery of the baby so far does not seem to be posing a major challenge as many people have called in hospital authorities to pledge their support.
The Chairman of UMTH Medical Advisory Council Dr. Mohammed Bashir Tahir told our correspondent that many good people have indicated interests in footing the bills of the surgery.
He added that the baby surgery will be transferred to Enugu where the surgery will be done.
The Nation
