VivaCell-MTS and BirthLink keep supporting improvement of neonatal care

VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian and Director of BirthLink Kathy Mellor visited the neonatal department at The Republican Institute of Reproductive Health, Perinatology, Obstetrics & Gynecology in Yerevan.
 
This hospital has been supported by the BirthLink project since 2009.

More than 3,500 deliveries take place in this hospital, and they receive many women transferred from the regions with complications of pregnancy to enable them to deliver in a referral centre with expertise to receive safe and appropriate care. The neonatal department is one of the busiest in Armenia, receiving more than 650 sick and premature babies a year.

This year the hospital was provided with two intensive care cots, for immediate care of these vulnerable babies, together with additional equipment for the management of respiratory difficulties and an ultrasound scanner for monitoring babies brain growth and development in the first weeks after birth. The provided equipment will help support more babies in this department and also help with diagnosis and management.

«There is nothing in our nation that deserves our attention and dedication more than newborn. We should not stay indifferent and leave alone the parents, doctors and the society with the alarming problem of high rate of child mortality as every interrupted life puts a small end in the opportunity of the humanity for better future. And most importantly, we are more than sure that everyone deserves hearing the words “Mom, Dad, I love you”», said VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

The project with VivaCell-MTS concentrates on the first day of life to ensure each maternity facility has doctors and nurses with the right knowledge and equipment to improve survival of the vulnerable newborn babies. In addition to the equipment being provided, education, training and support for the medical staff continues.

This is now the seventh year of cooperation between “BirthLink” and VivaCell-MTS, to improve the care of sick and premature babies in Armenia, and thereby reduce neonatal mortality. The project commenced in 2008, and till now has supported twelve neonatal departments in Yerevan and twenty-three departments in seven regions of Armenia with about AMD 535 million of support from VivaCell-MTS.

«A child is the guarantee of a full-fledged family, and the family is the guarantee of a sustainable society. And, in its turn, the sustainable society is the most important precondition for any country's development and progress. We want to struggle for the life of every child born in Armenia, we want those children to not only bring happiness to their parents, but also to become healthy and valuable individuals for our society, our country. VivaCell-MTS and “BirthLink” NGO have their contribution in this struggle, standing next to Armenian doctors, providing them with the necessary equipment, and, why not, also psychological support for making their tough, but invaluable work more effective», commented VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

The ‘Every Newborn’ action plan, led by World Health Organization and UNICEF, believes that nearly 3 million babies and women can be saved each year through investing in quality care around the time of birth and special care for sick and small newborns.

More than 80% of all newborn deaths result from poor preventable and treatable conditions – in particular, those necessary in cases of complications due to prematurity and infections. Improving quality of care around the time of birth will save most lives, but needs healthcare professionals with good knowledge and well equipped facilities to make the difference.