Heroic Kenyan Nurse Who Saved Baby Receives Sh100,000
Sinino Abdullahi is not just another run-of-the-mill medic in a public hospital. The 30-year-old nurse at Kimanju Hospital in Laikipia North takes her profession as a calling, and believes in the Nghtingale Pledge of devoting herself to the welfare of those committed to her care.
And when she stood yesterday to receive Sh100,000 reward from Governor Ndiritu Muriithi, her heroism and compassion that saved an abandoned infant, came to light.
Ms Abdullahi yesterday narrated how she rescued a baby, who had been abandoned by its 16-year-old mother, in Musul.
Being ridiculed
The girl had concealed her pregnancy from her family and schoolmates for fear of being ridiculed. She resorted to killing the baby to keep up the pretence of not being pregnant.
According to Abdullahi, the Standard Eight pupil delivered the baby by herself in her bedroom and hid the child under the bed, stuffing its mouth with cow dung.
Worried that somebody would find out that she had a baby in the house, the girl hid the baby in the grass, the nurse recounted.
Children who were playing nearby stumbled on the baby and alerted neighbours.
“I received a call from for a community health volunteer informing me about the abandoned baby. I took an ambulance and rushed to Musul about 10km from Kimanju Hospital,” she said.
By the time she got to the scene, the baby’s skin was turning bluish due to lack of oxygen and excessive exposure to cold.
“We rushed the baby to the hospital and and tests revealed the cow dung had caused an infection. The baby was in a bad shape and weighed 1.2kg,” she said, adding the teenage mother had also tried to strangle the baby.
“She did not want to see her baby. Her mother was also angry at her but we counselled them and they accepted to take care of the child,” said Abdullahi.
The baby was later discharged and the mother taken through the Kangaroo mother care programme, where she had to maintain a skin-to-skin touch with the baby to normalise its body temperatures.
Ms Abdullahi’s act of compassion and dedication saw her recognised by the county leadership. She was promoted and received Sh100,000 for going an extra mile in service delivery.
The nurse was also recognised for her dedication in preventing two babies from being infected with HIV by their mothers.
She delivered Nevirapine Syrup – a medicine that prevents mother-to-child HIV transmission – to two HIV-positive mothers, who had refused to be put under medication to protect their babies.
The nurse was awarded alongside three other women ? one in Laikipia East and two in Western Laikipia.
The governor said he introduced the quarterly award programme to motivate workers and encourage commitment among civil servants.
Dedicated workers
“We want to have a dedicated public service and change the attitude towards work,” said Muriithi, adding four employees received Sh100,000 each.
Another nurse was also awarded for initiating an immunisation plan by collecting vaccines from Wiyumiririe Hospital to Karigui-ini dispensary using a boda boda. The medic did this to ensure newborns don’t miss their immunisation due to lack of a refrigerator at the dispensary.
Source :Standard Digital
