Riga Maternity Hospital Fund has raised funds to present Riga Maternity Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit the transcutaneous tcPCO2/tcPO2 monitor, a state-of-the-art medical device that continuously monitors blood gas and pulse of new-borns in real time. It is a non-invasive, method that does not require 2-3 venepunctures for testing blood.
In her speech, First Lady Andra Levite, who is a doctor-gynaecologist and maternity specialist by background, underlined the significance of the device for better neonatal care and mental and emotional wellbeing of healthcare personnel and parents.
Remarks by Andra Levite
Warm greetings, dear ladies and gentlemen,
I am deeply honoured and delighted to have been invited to be a Patron for Riga Maternity Hospital Fund. Let me begin by briefly describing why.
Many port cities in the world have migration museums. There is Ellis Island Immigration Museum in New-York, the Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin, Ballinstadt Emigration Museum in Hamburg. Liepāja City Museum also had exhibition focusing on early 20th century emigration, which will hopefully turn into a permanent emigration museum in future.
There are different reasons to emigrate: to escape poverty, find religious freedom or simply find new adventure. But there is one shared commonality among emigres: all of them took something dear to them or very practical when they left their old life behind to find new life.
There are old photos showing, for example, tailor carrying a sewing-machine, priest with communion cup or young lads with fiancée’s photo. Many who left carried pillows with them to have their own headrest in the new world.
When I moved to Latvia, I brought my maternity expertise with me. I am happy that this knowledge helped me in my old life and the new life, as well. I agreed to become a Patron of the Riga Maternity Hospital Fund because it is the support centre where new life begins every day.
Riga Maternity Hospital is the cornerstone of Latvia’s demographics. It is the very place where the future of Latvia is born. And Riga Maternity Hospital Fund stands at the cradle of Latvia’s future since 2019.
I am very happy to be here today and witness the presentation of the transcutaneous monitor, a state of the art medical device that continuously monitors blood gas and pulse of new-borns in real time, to Riga Maternity Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit by Riga Maternity Hospital Fund.
But there is a something truly magical behind those seemingly sophisticated words and dry technical terms.
Less pain for little patients: pain that would have been otherwise ingrained in their memory for life. Studies show that children never forget pain they have felt while being treated in an ICU. We believe that children will forget 2-3 venepunctures a day, but this pain becomes deeply embedded in their memory.
Less stress for medical staff.
Less tears and sorrow for families of little patients. It is heart-wrenching for a mother to see her little baby being pierced by needle 2-3 times a day to draw a blood sample.
Babies born prematurely or with hereditary diseases, especially heart and lung conditions, and babies having experienced emergency at birth, need this machine. This device will be the voice of the baby and tell ICU personnel everything about the condition of little patient and preferred treatment.
Some new-borns, especially the ones born prematurely, literally have to fight for their life with their first breath. It should feel good to help them do it and make their first days of life easier.
Parents of prematurely born babies rely on expertise of healthcare professionals and modern technologies created to make intensive care more efficient and less painful.
Medical personnel of the Riga Maternity Hospital united by commitment and desire to support young mothers and help the most vulnerable and helpless members of our society, the new-borns.
We hope that all new-borns will be able to enjoy their birthright to live perfectly healthy life and seek personal happiness. However, we also know that there are new-borns who have suffered even before they were born.
I want to sincerely thank Riga Maternity Hospital Fund and everyone who donated their money, Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Juris Šleiers, and his highly professional and competent colleagues. You make this world a better place!
Thank you!
