Hospital del Niño de Guayaquil improved the equipment and infrastructure of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – Ministry of Public Health

2023-07-28 03:47:35

Guayaquil, July 27, 2023
The Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante Children’s Hospital (HFIB), of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), revamped the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) thanks to the cooperation of the Government of Turkey. This action seeks to strengthen and improve specialized medical care for newborns in vulnerable situations.

To officially present the repowered area, the HFIB held an event, this Thursday, July 27, 2023, which was attended by the Minister of Health, José Ruales; the ambassador of Turkey, Makbule Başak Yalçin and the director of the Turkish Cooperation Agency (TIKA-Colombia). In addition, authorities from the health sector, hospital managers and leading specialists in pediatrics and neonatology.

During the inauguration, the Minister of Health expressed his gratitude to the Turkish people for their support and collaboration in this project, which will have a significant impact on the medical care of newborns in the country. He stressed that this action is a clear example of how international cooperation can make a difference in the lives of children who need it most.

The agreement allowed the improvement of infrastructure and equipment with updated technology. “Right now, we have 17 neonates in the unit, including one who is one month old today, a child who reached 32 weeks of gestation from the Galapagos in poor condition. After a month he is in excellent condition, he is healthy, ”said Ruales.

Among the equipment delivered for the repowering of the NICU are: an APOGEE 2300 portable ultrasound, an Ultra 200 transportable X-ray equipment, an infant incubator and a steerable binocular indirect ophthalmology unit.

For her part, the Turkish ambassador expressed her satisfaction at having collaborated with the Children’s Hospital. “This beautiful project has been completed. The hospital is very large and its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) needed to have this life-changing cooperation,” she expressed.

After the ceremony, the attendees took a tour of the repowered facilities of the NICU. This area attends an average of 35 patients per month. “My baby arrived unable to breathe on his own, with very low saturation. Thanks to the care I received in the NICU, my child is already healthy,” said Blanca J., mother of one of the patients who benefited from the upgraded service.