Aisha, baby born with open heart, dies of infections

Baby Aisha Mustapha, born with an open heart, died in the early hours of yesterday at the Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

It was gathered that with the N2.5 million and N3m donated by Yobe State government and wife of the president, Mrs. Aisha Buhari respectively, baby Aisha was set to be flown to Enugu to undergo surgery in a Special Centre, which has partnership with UK specialists already in the country.

The uncle of the baby, Arama Mustapha, who broke the news of the death to newsmen, said he is heart broken over the death of the child. “I have just received a call from the mother of the child a few minutes ago that the baby is dead. She called me around 3:06a.m. and broke the news to me,” he said.

The Consultant Neonatologist at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Dr. Pius Simon, said the death was caused by “infections”, as the heart had overstayed outside the baby’s chest for over a week.

“The baby could have survived the special surgery, but the exposure of heart for about a week, led to various infections of other organs. This is a sad development.”

In his reaction, the Yobe State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, has expressed sadness over the passing away of Baby Aisha, who was born in Goni Kori village of Gaidam local council of the state with her heart outside her chest ten days ago.

A statement from Alhaji Abdullahi Bega, spokesman to the governor said: “The governor’s thoughts and sympathies are with Baby Aisha’s parents at this time of loss to them. He also implored the Almighty Allah to grant them other offspring from His Grace.”

The governor also thanked the team of medical specialists at the UMTH, led by Dr. Bashir Tahir, who worked so hard to help late Aisha recover from her ailment.

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