On the occasion of Philips’ sixth consecutive Cape Town to Cairo roadshow, Philips in collaboration with OriIyanrin Primary Healthcare (PH) Center popular known as the “Healthcare Centre”) unveiled an extensive overhaul and refurbishment of the mother and child care facilities at the Healthcare Centre.

Essentially, Philips upgraded the facilities in the labour, paediatric and new born baby wards, designing them to support the well-being and recovery of expectant mothers and their new born babies.

It is anticipated that over time, as a result of this pioneering project, many lives will also be saved.

The Healthcare Center, located in Iru/Victoria Island, LCDA, Lagos, has a very high patient in-flow with an average of 300-400 outpatients per month, as well as 30-40 follow up appointments per week.

The Healthcare Center records an average of twenty (20) births per month. The labour, pediatric and new born units in the Healthcare Center prior to the refurbishment were in need of an upgrade.

The Healthcare Center is the largest amongst three primary healthcare centers in the district- Oniru Primary Health Centre and TakwaBay Island Primary Health Centre being the other two; all of which have minimal manpower.

Therefore the upgrading of the Healthcare benefit all three centers, and enable them to provide more efficient patient care.

Calming Environment for Mothers and Babies

The project, undertaken by Philips has resulted in a complete overhaul and renovation of existing mother and child care facilities.

Philips began by painting and decorating the wards in order to create a serene and calming environment; Philips has also installed new toilets, tables, chairs, beds and cabinets.

In addition, all the light fittings have been retrofitted with the latest Philips LED lighting solutions; LED lighting enables rest and recovery, as it’s not as harsh as conventional fluorescent lighting, it requires minimal maintenance and also helps to reduce energy consumption.

Earlier, due to frequent power outages as well as poor and sporadic lighting, doctors found it very challenging to deliver babies at night time, this problem is now eliminated.

This new innovative solar LED lighting provides safe and uninterrupted illumination, while saving costs.

Philips has also invested in landscaping and beautifying the roundabout and streets surrounding the Healthcare Centre; all elements to provide a clean and attractive area, as well as easy access to the Healthcare Center.

Installing lifesaving Innovations

To further improve the maternal health and child care facilities, Philips has also provided the Healthcare Centerwith a range of its innovative solutions, many of which have been developed specifically with African conditions in mind.

Innovative Ultra-Mobile Ultrasound

Noticing the lack of basic ultrasound in the labour ward, Philips has equipped the Healthcare Center with its innovative ultra-mobile ultrasound system VISIQ; the size of a tablet, the VISIQ is the first ultra-mobile system from Philips.

VISIQ’s unique combination of mobility, ease of use and image quality, will enable clinicians in the Healthcare Centre to carry out comprehensive obstetric and abdominal scans themselves rather than referring patients to larger ultrasound centers or hospitals. This enables fast diagnosis and treatment.

Approximately ten times smaller than a traditional ultrasound machine and with reduced energy consumption, VISIQ can be used for screening, triage and fetal well-being scans, all of which helps to address the critical issue of maternal and infant care in Nigeria.

Monitoring with Assurance

In addition, Philips has also installed its Efficia Patient Monitor in the Healthcare Center.

Designed to be both portable and intuitive, and using time-tested physiological measurement algorithms the Efficia monitor will empower staff at the Healthcare Centre with actionable, care-specific information required to make patient management decisions and provide fast and efficient patient care.

Furthermore, to ensure proper usage of the technology, Philips is conducting an extensive training workshop at the Healthcare Center for midwives, maternity nurses, obstetricians and ultrasound practitioners; the objective is to provide hands-on application training, as well as a clinical refresher course on where to look and what to look for, and how to use this information to guide diagnoses and treatment decisions.

For new mothers and soon-to-be mothers in the Healthcare Center, Philips will be hosting demonstrations by experts on the importance of breast feeding and learning the correct techniques to enable comfort and ease for both infant and mother.

Breastfeeding is fundamental to reducing infant mortality. It can protect against common childhood infections such as neonatal sepsis.

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), exclusive breastfeeding for a baby’s first six months and partial breastfeeding into a child’s second year, reduces a child’s chances of succumbing to several preventable illnesses including diarrhoea and acute respiratory tract infections.

Maternity Screening Camp to Enable Early Detection of Complications

As per previous years, Philips is setting up a maternity screening camp during the Nigerian phase of the Cape Town to Cairo roadshow.

The screening camp at the Healthcare Center will give expectant mothers in the local community the opportunity to avail themselves of a free ultrasound screening. For the majority of the women in the area this will be their first time to have a scan during their pregnancy.

A pre-natal screening ensures that any complications can be detected in advance of labour; if any of the women require further medical attention they will be taken care of immediately at the Healthcare Center.

Speaking on these development, at the inauguration of the refurbished facilities, Robin Armstrong, general manager, Philips Healthcare, West Africa said, “It gives me great pleasure to unveil the renovation of the mother and child care facilitates at the Healthcare Center. This project will hopefully ease the burden for the healthcare workers in the district, and in time save many lives as well. Most expectant women visiting this facility can now have access to care which will help to keep both them and their babies healthy.”

Armstrong added that, “Since the beginning of the Philips Cape Town to Cairo roadshow we have continually sought to champion the UN Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 (MDGs), related to reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.

“Our commitment to Mother and Child Care in Africa is unwavering – as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) supersede the MDGs our focus will remain the same, and we will continue to advance healthcare in Africa, providing solutions, innovations and collaborations that bring meaningful change.”

On his part, Dr Wale Akeredolu, medical officer health, Public Health and Primary Health Centre Department, Iru /Victoria Island LCDA commented on the refurbishment thus, “The impact this project will have on our district cannot be overstated. Community Healthcare Centers are generally under resourced and sparsely equipped with technology. Our Healthcare Center is no different in this regard, and in particular our mother and child care facilities have been under enormous pressure in recent years. We are delighted to have collaborated with Philips, as this project will breathe new life into our Healthcare Center and enable us to improve care for our patients.”

Fourth Stop on the Sixth Cape Town to Cairo Roadshow

The announcement of the OriIyanrin Primary Healthcare Center formed part of Philips’ annual pan-African Cape Town to Cairo roadshow that kicked off on 11th May 2015, in Cape Town.

Nigeria is the fourth stop on a journey covering 12,000 km across 11 cities and 8 countries over a period of 4 to 5 months.

The roadshow has gained significant momentum over the past five years, allowing Philips to get to the heart of some of the key issues facing Africa –  including Mother and Child Care, the rise of non-communicable diseases, energy efficient LED and solar lighting solutions, as well as shining a spotlight on the need for clinical education and training.

Last year when the roadshow stopped off in Nigeria, Philips unveiled a stunning LED lighting makeover of the well-renowned Nigerian National Arts Theater in Lagos, one of the most iconic buildings in the city.

Royal Philips is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2014 sales of EUR 21.4 billion and employs approximately 108,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries.

The company is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming and oral healthcare.