A newborn baby dies in Ghana once every 15 minutes, according to UNICEF. That is approximately 29,000 newborn deaths each year, many of which are the result of breathing difficulties. Every year in Ghana around 140,000 babies—14 percent—are born premature and 8,400 of these preterm babies die in under 30 days.
Like many other developing countries, Ghana lacks medical equipment to accommodate both preterm and full term babies, either because such devices are too expensive to purchase or too costly to fix.
Many news reports have highlighted the lack of facilities for new mothers and their babies in even the major hospitals across the country, showing these vulnerable people sleeping on bare floors in overcrowded and oftentimes flooded or unsanitary wards. To help fight against this, Emmanuel Amehaga, a young Ghanaian man has invented a 5-in-1 neonatal bed machine.
First sighted on global social media platform twitter, Emmanuel is seen explaining the science behind his invention and the need for it in the Ghanaian healthcare system.
There is a pad with numbers on the automated bed which represent specific beds. Every bed has an ID tag attached to it. If a particular number is pressed, the machine loads and with the help of sensors, the baby on the given bed is delivered.
With significant funding and support from the government and industry stakeholders, this is bound to be a revolutionary way to deal with the above mentioned issues bedevilling the healthcare system.
