It was an honour and a deeply personal privilege to join the Lagos State First Lady H.E. Dr Ibijoke Sanwoolu, Hon iran Commissioner For Health Professor Akin Abayomi, dignitaries and philanthropic supporters at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital 65th Anniversary Symposium and Celebration – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; and to be conferred as an Lagos Island Maternity Hospital Born Ambassador.

For over six decades, Lagos Island Maternity Hospital has stood as a national symbol of resilience and excellence in maternal, newborn, and child health. Its transformation from a post-independence facility into a modern specialist referral and training institution reflects the importance of sustained professional dedication and systemic reform.

Advancing this legacy of care, Wellbeing Foundation Africa implements a suite of evidence-based programmes at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital to strengthen Maternal, Neonatal, & Child Health (MNCH) outcomes. Our MamaCare 360 Antenatal and Postnatal Education Programme delivers World Health Organization (WHO)-aligned health classes to thousands of mothers at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, supporting maternal nutrition, respectful care, birth preparedness, and family planning.

Through MamaCare 360, NICU Plus, WBFA provides continuous counselling to mothers of premature and vulnerable newborns in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, including lactation guidance, kangaroo care, and the provision of breast pumps to support sustained breastfeeding, maternal–infant bonding, and early survival.

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Project Oscar – Light for Life, our Neonatal Jaundice Screening, Treatment, and Prevention Program, supported by Reckitt, has equipped Lagos Island Maternity Hospital with advanced phototherapy devices and BiliDx bilirubinometers, enabling rapid diagnosis and treatment of neonatal jaundice and reducing the risk of long-term neurological harm.

Through our technical partnership with GE Healthcare, we have trained Lagos Island Maternity Hospital and the Lagos State Ministry of Health, midwives in the use of portable ultrasound tools, improving early detection of pregnancy complications and reinforcing the critical role of midwifery-led antenatal diagnostics.

As we commemorate 65 years of service at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa reaffirms its commitment to a continuum of care that spans both community and facility levels, ensuring that mothers and newborns in Nigeria receive safe, equitable, and respectful care.