Betta Edu rescues abandoned Baby, names him after Ayade

Dr. Betta Edu, Director General of Primary Healthcare Development Agency with the rescued baby

Director General, Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Betta Edu has rescued a newborn baby who was  abandoned by a teenage mother immediately after delivery on Monday, March 20.

The baby who was abandoned at Anderson Primary Health Center, Calabar South local government area of the state has been named after Governor Ben Ayade.

Dr. Edu said that "I thank God that the teenager managed to even come to the health center to deliver the child rather than delivering at home and dumping her in a bin or toilet that probably would have led to the death of the child".

She noted that the Ayade's administration "believes that every child deserves to live, and every child should be wanted and be planned for or if you don't want to have children then take up family planning".

The DG however added that in Calabar South, her Agency is facing challenges because there are a lot of teenage girls that are pregnant and most of them are HIV positive and it calls for great concerns.

"We stepped up health SENSITISATION  in this communities and health workers have been going from house to house mobilization trying to convince them to take up family planning but the have rejected Family Planning.

The culture needs to change, our chiefs need to help us, churches and prayer houses need to join in this advocacy for family planning, this young girls between 11 and 17 need to protect themselves and abstain from sex where possible so they don't have children which are not planned for or unwanted in the society with lack of motherly care.

This baby although already named Anderson (after the facility) will be known as “ANDERSON AYADE" because State Government will take over the support for  the child till proper adoption is done", she said.

Earlier, the Chief Community Health Officer, Mrs Elizabeth Offiong who narrated the story said that the teenage mother threatened to dump the baby in the gutter if government fail to take ownership.

She said that "after giving birth, the teenage girl refused to undergo series of tests as she outrightly rejected the food bought for her. She refused all our offers to treat her and rather insisted that she doesn't want the child.

She threatened to dump the baby in the gutter Government does not take ownership of the child. All effort to persuade her to receive treatment  was unsuccessful as she quietly ran away and abandoned her newborn baby".