By Augustine Aminu
First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has provided financial support of N500,000.00 immediate support, wrote off medicals and other charges for the mother who was delivered of six babies earlier in the week through in-vitro fertilization, IVF, at the National Hospital, Abuja.
This is contained in a press release issued by Ohaeri Osondu Joseph, Special Assistant, Media to the Minister of Women Affairs to newsmen in Abuja.
Making the presentation to the family on behalf of the first lady, the Minister of Women Affairs, Barr Uju Kennedy Ohanenye expressed the first lady’s delight on the safe delivery of the six babies (4 girls and 2 boys) after 13 years wait by the parents who are natives of Ohaozara LGA of Ebonyi State.
Kennedy-Ohanenye also presented cartons of NAN babies’ milk including baby wipes, pampers, feeding bottles and other baby items.
The Minister who was accompanied to the hospital by the House Committee Chairman on Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Kafilat Ogbara stated that aside from the financial support, medical bills including incubator charges which will be taken care of by the Federal Government, adding that they will monitor babies’ and their mother’s development to the point of discharge from the hospital.
“The Federal Government will take care of the medicals including the incubator charges and I will personally monitor their development and will be here to accompany them home on the day they of discharge from the hospital. We will also find a way to assist the family under the PBAT Cares E-commerce initiative to provide a sustainable means of livelihood for the mother of the babies by the time she leaves the hospital,” she added.
In the same vein, the House Committee Chairman commended the Doctors, Nurses and management of the National Hospital for the exceptional care and attention given to the mother during her pregnancy and kept her under 3 months’ observation before the delivery of the babies.
“I am impressed by the level of expertise and medical attention the mother got from the Doctors and Nurses, I also congratulate other women who delivered safely in the same hospital.”
The highly elated first-time mother, Mrs. Precious Ifeanyi could not contain her joy after waiting for 13 years and was delivered at 30 weeks through caesarean section.
According to her, she was expecting quintuplets, only to find out during delivery that there were six babies. She said after getting married on April 3, 2010, she had looked forward to the fruit of the womb.
“In our 13 years of searching for a baby, I and my husband who is Clergy man, have spent a lot of money that yielded no result. However, since then it has not been easy. We expected children but they were not forthcoming. We went to many places and spent money but no results so we just accepted to wait for God’s time,” Mrs. Ifeanyi said.
Saying that, “God in His infinite mercy visited us, and here we are today, God has changed the story. When you spend money on something and it is not forthcoming, it is very frustrating. My husband and I spent money on medications and kept asking people for suggestions, and went to many places without success.”
Also speaking, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Mahmud Raji said he was personally delighted at the safe delivery of the sextuplets after months of consistent monitoring, supervision and medical care and stated that the hospital encounter people with diverse health but we try to handle their cases in our own way.
“Our aim as a medical institution is to put smiles on peoples’ faces and we are trying our best with the support of the Federal Government to attend to their health needs.”
Aside from the couple, the Women Minister also gave financial support to other patients in the same ward who were also delivered of babies.