Parent & Baby Awards 2026 | 5 Best Advanced Neonatal Care Centre 2026 – Nigeria & Preterm Infant Medicine Excellence Award 2026 Babies born at less than 28 weeks in Nigeria have a high mortality rate, as they require advanced neonatal care that is difficult to come by in a resource-limited environment such as this. Babies Matter Medical Centre looks after premature and extremely premature babies at its neonatal unit in Lagos, and it has sent home many babies born at 25, 26, and 27 weeks. Dr Zainabu Mudasiru was on hand for more about the incredible work she and her team are doing. Managing the health and progress of babies born prematurely or those who are very sick, the work that Babies Matter Medical Centre does is seeing increased survival rates across children in Nigeria, giving parents the best gift of all in the form of a baby who is happy and healthy after arriving a little earlier than expected. A lot of the babies treated at Babies Matter Medical Centre are born via IVF, and that is why there are a high number of ‘multiple babies’ at the centre, as twins and triplets are more common following IVF and are more likely to be born prematurely. Their parents have often sought IVF treatment out after many years of trying to have children, and that makes the lifesaving work Dr Mudasiru and her team do all the more special. “We are seeing more and more multiple births”, Dr Mudasiru said, “and this is because IVF and surrogacy have taken off in Nigeria. More centres have opened up and offer good results with pregnancy numbers. So, many times when we are called to receive a baby, it tends to be more than one. We have had to adapt by having more staff attend these deliveries and enough equipment to manage all babies from the point of delivery (when we take over their care) until we transport them safely back to our unit.” Since opening its doors in November 2023, Babies Matter Medical Centre has kept the highest standards at all times across its care, and never once has any element of its service or treatment slipped. In fact, it is improving year on year, with new methods and equipment introduced into its five-star neonatal care, the impact of which continues to be felt. Dr Mudasiru (clinical lead/co-founder), her co-founder Dr Efunbo Dosekun and Senior Consultant Dr Onah are the people behind this, and their fingerprints can be seen all over Babies Matter Medical Centre, from its team to the culture. Having worked on neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in South Africa and the UK, Dr Mudasiru knows how demanding any role in this environment is, and how best to help her team thrive. Personally picking all of her staff by hand, Dr Mudasiru looks for certain qualities as she builds her team, and anyone welcomed into the fold must be committed, hardworking, able to cope in stressful situations, and have the ability to solve problems, whether on their own or as part of a team. Empathy and communication are also key, as the parents the team are working with are in the midst of what is an incredibly emotional period in their lives. With every team member also aligned with the values of excellent care, compassion, respect, and partnership, Babies Matter Medical Centre enjoys an internal culture built on the guiding principle of love – love for each other, love for the work, and love for every baby who they treats at the centre. The innovative, impactful work that Babies Matter Medical Centre is doing across Nigeria, which is still classed as a developing country, is set to continue indefinitely, and Dr Mudasiru has some exciting plans for how the care provided under her watchful eye can be even better. First, she explained, is the goal to increase the capacity of centre itself, allowing more babies with prematurity and extreme prematurity to access the crucial care only Nigeria’s best neonatal hospital can provide. Then there is the plan to establish a fund to help families who struggle to pay their bills. “An NICU anywhere in the world is expensive”, Dr Mudasiru added, Babies Matter Medical Centre “and sometimes families tend to struggle financially, especially in a resource-limited setting such as ours.” These initiatives reaffirm the commitment that Babies Matter Medical Centre has to providing advanced neonatal care and preterm infant medicine to as many premature and ill babies as it can across Lagos and beyond. As a result of this dedication, we are honoured to recognise the centre with two titles in our Parent and Baby Awards 2026. Contact: Dr Zainabu Mudasiru Company: Babies Matter Medical Centre Web Address: https://babiesmatterng.org/
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