Mending the Cracks
How an improved health system saved Baby Goni
It didn’t look like Baby Goni would make it. White pus oozed from the extensive wound that had encroached upon his chest wall, extending to the fringes of his left shoulder. The flesh surrounding the wound had separated, revealing a deep gash of white dermis. The baby writhed in extreme pain while his distressed parents watched in helpless anguish!
Goni entered the world in a state of vulnerability, born on June 5, 2023, as the fourth child of displaced parents living in the GGSS IDP Camp in Dikwa, northeast Nigeria. His first bed was a thin mat on a cold, hard floor of the camp, with a leaky roof over his parents’ makeshift shelter.
The situation for the family worsened when Goni developed a rash on his chest, adding another layer of difficulty to their already challenging circumstances. Inna Tijjani, Goni's 21-year-old mother, initially brushed off the rash, only to witness it transform into a septic ulcer that took over a significant portion of his chest wall.
"We initially sought treatment from a local chemist and later took him to the General Hospital in Dikwa, hoping for a solution. However, it only continued to deteriorate. It had a profound impact on him. He suffered from a high fever every day and lost his appetite. He was also inconsolable, crying incessantly,"
A follow-up visit to the camp in July by UNICEF-supported hygiene promoters proved to be a lifesaver. Through the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA), with funding from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UNICEF engaged these hygiene promoters as part of a mobile antenatal care programme. The programme aims to eliminate barriers to healthcare services and provide healthcare to indigent pregnant women and children.
Through a seamless referral system supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Baby Goni was referred to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) in Maiduguri, where he was promptly admitted to intensive care the next day.
At UMTH, Goni was managed as a severe acute malnutrition case, and the ruptured rash affecting his left chest wall and arm was treated. A dedicated medical team monitored him round the clock, recommending plastic surgery along with daily dressings and intravenous antibiotics—all provided free of charge.
Following his successful treatment, Baby Goni was discharged and allowed to return to Dikwa with his mother. There, the health workers continued to provide treatment and daily dressing for his wound at his parents' shelter in the camp.
Thirty days later, Inna could not contain her joy at the positive turn of events.
"We just returned to Dikwa after spending 30 days at the hospital in Maiduguri. My son is doing well, and I am thankful to everyone who supported us. We spent three weeks on admission at UMTH, and everything was free, including food and medical treatment. To me, it feels like a dream."
UNICEF has consistently supported the Borno State Primary Health Care Development Agency by strengthening the health system through training and deploying human resources for health, providing medical supplies and consumables, and enhancing infrastructure for efficient service delivery. In 2022, UNICEF handed over essential drugs worth over USD$200,000 to the Borno State Government to bolster healthcare delivery to pregnant women, newborns, and children under the age of five. UNICEF contributed an additional USD$200,000 to the implementation of the Primary Health Care Memorandum of Understanding that it signed with the state government.
