UNICEF saves lives of prematurely born children in Moldova
By Tatiana Tibuleac The Head of the Neonatal Reanimation Ward of the Mother and Child Center of Chisinau, Alexandru Mogulceac, meets us at the door with obvious joy. Although the incubators have been installed in the ward six months ago, doctors still consider them a priceless gift. “Within 6 months, we have saved lives of 40 children”, he says. “It is an extraordinary result!” Among the ancient equipment installed in most of Moldovan hospitals, those several new incubators look like jewelry. The price per unit is a small treasure for a state institution – $15,000. The most important however is that they save lives. Before, prematurely born children had to fight for their life on their own and few of them survived. Now, babies have a reliable ally. Next to one of the incubators, Galina Ispas, 30 years old, tells us her story. Several days ago, after a complicated birth, she gave birth to a baby weighing 800 grams. Since then, the little girl has been connected to a device fighting for her life together with doctors and her mother.
“It is not the first time I am in such a situation”, says Galina with tears in her eyes. “The second child was also born prematurely but the hospital did not have incubators then. It was much harder. This time, I am more confident, even doctors say that the girl has more chances to recover”. Incubators are vital for the new-born. When a baby is born before term, it does not have sufficient forces to adapt to external conditions. Until it gains normal weight it needs a fixed temperature of 370, like in the mother’s body. This temperature can be maintained only with the help of equipment. “It is almost impossible to create such conditions without incubators”, says Petru Stratulat, Director of the Perinatology Center of Moldova. “Lack of a stable environment can cause hemorrhages, hypothermia and other complications in children. In other words, the chances of a baby to survive without the device are very small”. “UNICEF and the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency have brought the first incubators to Moldovan hospitals”, says Svetlana Stefanet, Equal Access to Quality Services Program Coordinator, UNICEF Moldova. “They help us to prolong the life of prematurely born children, those with low weight. In addition, this is a way for Moldova to align to international standards in the field”. According to statistics, more than 100 children weighing less than 1 kg and another 140 children weighing less than 1.5 kg are born in the Republic of Moldova annually. Without the support of doctors and necessary equipment, half of them do not survive.
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