Thirty-five out of 1,000 new babies die in Kwara State, the President of the National Association of Nigeria Paediatrics Nurses (NANPAN), Mrs Bunmi Lawal, has said.

The expert said the state had less than 12 paediatrics nurses in its employ. Mrs. Lawal spoke yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital, at this year's National Paediatrics Nursing Conference and 2014 World Prematurity Day with the theme: Curbing Newborn death in Nigeria: A Mandate To All.

She said: "The implication of this shortage of paediatrics nurses on the mortality rate on the newborn is very grave. Paediatrics nurses are specially trained to take care of the newborn.

"We want to use this opportunity to appeal to the state government to reconsider supporting nurses to go for paediatrics nursing programmes in the state."

"The University of Ilorin Teaching of Hospital (UITH) School of Nursing has programme in Ilorin, the state capital. This school produces paediatrics nurses every year. We therefore encourage state to consider and utilize the available resources of paediatrics nursing and other post basic nursing programmes.

"The state is expected to have a minimum of 30 paediatrics nurses in every unit of the hospitals. In a hospital we can have about six paediatrics units like the care baby unit.

"One is gravely perturbed by the alarming figures indicated in the Nigerian data profile, which says the country is constituting nearly one quarter of Africa's maternal, neonatal and child mortality rate."

The NANPAN president added: "The successful implementation of the training will undoubtedly reduce neonatal and child morbidity and mortality and will also decrease the incidence of birth defects."

The Chairman of the Chief Medical Advisory Committee, UITH, Dr Suleiman Alabi, aligned with the NANPAN president, adding that "we do immunisation on a yearly basis."

Dr Suleiman said: "We need to have people who know about it to be able to partake in giving immunization to our kids. We also need them for the main treatment of the children both at the emergency paediatrics and even in the wards. So want to urge our government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to send more nurses on these courses which are available all over the country.

"This will lead to a better healthcare for our children.

The one in UITH in Ilorin has been on for sometimes now and we have not been receiving nurses from the state but we have been receiving from other federal institutions from across the country."

Health Commissioner Kayode A. Isa said three million children die every year globally and 2.6 million are stillborn.

Isa represented by Director of Nursing Services in the ministry, Elder S. A. Aliyu added that the country is among the highest annual number of newborn deaths.

"If measures are not taken to curb the occurrence one wonders whether we are going to have anybody left to lead this noble country in future," the commissioner said.