Child trauma: Paediatricians blame armed conflict for rise

The Association of Paediatric Surgeons of Nigeria (APSON) says armed conflicts around the country and growing urbanisation are fuelling increase in trauma to children, and necessitating need for separate children’s hospitals.
APSON president, Dr. James Adeniran, said trauma to young children was now a problem that compared with infectious diseases and malnutrition due to increased urbanisation and armed conflicts.
“We want to tackle trauma and malnutrition,” Adeniran said at APSON’s 14th scientific conference in Abuja on Thursday.“A lot of the children we operate on die because we don’t have proper nutrition for them.”
APSON has also called for separate hospitals – at least mapped according to geopolitical zones – that cater for children differently from adults, staffed by paediatric surgeons, doctors, nurses.
Adeniran said Nigeria was not “providing enough” services for children compared to countries like South Africa, considering resources at national disposal.