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On the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Wellbeing Africa Foundation and social impact partners Reckitt proudly marked the expansion and national launch of Project Oscar – Light For Life: The Neonatal Jaundice Screening, Treatment, and Kernicterus Prevention Program, bringing together stakeholders from across the healthcare, policy, and advocacy spectrum, reinforcing unified efforts in advancing maternal, newborn, and child health in Nigeria.
In technical partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NEST 360, Solina Center for International Development and Research, the Lagos State Ministry of Health, it was an honour to be joined by and to hear from Mr Akbar Ali Shah, CEO of Reckitt Sub-Saharan Africa, Honourable Commissioner Professor Akin Abayomi Lagos State Ministry of Health representing Governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria H.E. Prof Muhammed Ali Pate CON represented by Prof Wasiu Adeyemi, CMD of LUTH, Professor Chinyere Ezeaka, Head of Neonatology-Perinatology University of Lagos Nigeria, Patty O’Hayer, Global Head of External Communications & Affairs, and Oscar Anderson MBE & the Anderson Family, whose advocacy and lived experiences have inspired this program.
Project Oscar aims to revolutionise neonatal and jaundice care in Nigeria by educating over 10,000 mothers on the early signs and treatment options, screening over 9,000 infants for NNJ to ensure timely intervention, training 300 healthcare workers on specialised NNJ diagnosis and management protocols, and equipping primary, secondary and tertiary facilities with phototherapy units, transcutaneous bilirubinometers, BiliDx bilirubinometers, and post-discharge Bilistrips to support ongoing care.
The Light For Life Campaign, embedded within this program, calls for the global integration of neonatal jaundice care into health policies and guidelines. Aligned with the #International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024 theme, “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future,” Oscar’s voice continues to inspire an international movement to ensure that every newborn, no matter where they are born, receives the care they deserve.
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