South Korea, UNICEF donate to save babies

The Korea International Cooperation Agency and United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have donated a Newborn Care Unit and 75 new motorcycles to support Ghana Health Services in the Northern and Upper East Regions.

The donation would provide critical newborn care for babies within their first 30 days of life and enable the transportation of health workers during outreach missions to the areas.

It would also strengthen the efforts by the Government to ensure that more children get saved at birth and more communities are reached with vital health services in the regions.

A statement issued by UNICEF, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said Ambassador Lyeo, Woon-Ki, the South Korean Ambassador, Mr Woochan Chang, the KOICA Country Director, and Madam Susan Namondo Ngongi, met with Mr Albert Abongo, the Regional Minister of the Upper East Region, and Abdallah Abubakari, the Regional Minister of the Northern Region, for the presentation to the two regions.

The delegation also presented the motorcycles to the Ghana Health Services- with 45 for the Northern and 30 for the Upper East Region.

The newborn care unit and motorcycles are part of a 4.5 million dollar package from the Government of South Korea to reduce newborn deaths in those areas.

KOICA has partnered with UNICEF and the Government for three years to support newborn care, pre-school education, teacher training and HIV awareness in the beneficiary regions under the Human Development Lifecycle Approach Project.

Madam Susan Namondo Ngongi, UNICEF’s Representative, said neonatal mortality continued to be a challenge in Ghana because a new-born died every fifteen minutes.

She explained that 90 babies died every day within their first month of life and that was unacceptable.

Districts in the Upper East and Northern regions are among the most deprived in terms of quality education and the survival of newborns.

The programme, therefore, focuses on improving new-born care for babies in their first month of life; and improving the quality of education in these districts.

The Ambassador reiterated that through KOICA, the Government of Korea pledged its commitment to strengthen the cooperative ties, particularly in Northern Ghana, and to create a platform for a dynamic partnership with other development partners.

Dr Kofi Issah, the Upper East Regional Health Director of the Ghana Health Service, said: “We are happy for the people and mothers in Builsa and beyond for the chances of survival of neonates will improve and they will grow into healthy adolescents and adults.

“Who knows, one of these neonates benefiting from this new born care unit will one day be the President of Ghana”.