On Friday, a mentally and physically challenged woman has delivered a baby girl on street of Calabar.
The woman birthed her child on Friday evening in Uwanse, Calabar South local government area of Cross River State, but was later evacuated to a government facility.
The mentally ill woman, who delivered the baby by herself before the arrival of good Samaritans gave her name as Pretty and said she is from Benue State
Rescuing the baby and the mother, the Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Janet Ekpenyong who was in tears said the baby was delivered by 5.30.
Dr Ekpenyong called for more awareness to be created as regards mental health as well as for people to regularly check for other underlying health conditions especially those who have been exposed to hard drugs.
“We all owe ourselves the duty to check for our mental health,some of us are going through some stress and trauma that if not checked on time,could lead to advance mental health disorder,I want to encourage young people especially Students to stay away from hard drugs and addictive characters which may have adverse effect on their health.
“We are proud that the Government has rescued both the mother and the child,at the moment,we will ensure that the baby enjoys all privileges like every other child,she has received her first doses of Immunization to boost her immunity,and she has been placed in the watchful eyes of health professionals.
“As for the mother,we have tried to stabilize her,we have cleaned her up with a warm bath, because we know of some challenges and complications that may come with child birth ,we will monitor her as long as possible to see that she’s stable ,we have also given her food at least to boost energy level and she’s already in a cheerful mood.
”I also want to salute the effort of our sister agency, CUDA for reaching out to us,it shows that they have trust in us and the capacity to offer u compromisable services to our people,we Encourage other Cross Riverians to learn from that”, she stated
The Executive Secretary of the Calabar Urban Development Agency, Mr Emmanuel, thanked the DG of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and her team for acting promptly on the call which he said is a testament to the harmonious working relationship between all agencies of government in the state.
He disclosed his readiness to continue to collaborate with all agencies of government to ensure that citizens and residents enjoy its presence at all times.
The baby, who was later christened Linda Greatness after the state’s first lady,was handed cash and material gifts including beverages, sanitary materials amongst others.