Fidelis Eki-Udoko, head of the paediatric emergency division at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, says more than 60 per cent of child mortality at the hospital is caused by emergency conditions.

Mr Eki-Udoko, a consultant paediatrician who disclosed this in Benin on Tuesday, described childhood emergencies as conditions that were life-threatening to a child.

According to him, the hospital records up to 6,000 paediatric emergency cases annually, many of which arrive in critical condition.

”These conditions range from infectious causes like diarrhoea, diseases, and respiratory infections to non-infectious causes like children with asthma, convulsions, epilepsy, and cancer.

”Even those that have road traffic accidents, domestic accidents at home, falls, and even drowning; all these constitute emergencies,” he said.

He attributed the trend to economic hardship, poor health-seeking behaviour, and mismanagement by non-specialists.

”Some come from home with complications. Others are delayed in hospitals without proper diagnosis. By the time they reach us, it’s often too late,” he said.

He advised that timely medical intervention could significantly reduce mortality.

”Those referred within 24 hours of illness have better outcomes. The longer they stay in other facilities, the higher the risk of death,” he said.

The medical expert advised parents to improve on their health-seeking behaviour and play less on self-medication.

Mr Eki-Udoko, also the head of paediatric emergency at the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, urged healthcare providers without requisite expertise to always refer their patients in time.

He also advocated functional primary healthcare facilities at the community level to help parents, who might not be able to make the teaching hospital in time because of the distance and resources.

”The government needs to first of all make our primary health care centre, which is the closest to the people, functional,” he said.

(NAN)