Latest news with #Nicu
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
First Minister says plans to downgrade Wishaw neonatal unit are 'not about saving money'
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the plans for the neonatal intensive care unit (Nicu) at University Hospital Wishaw show the NHS is 'simply not safe in John Swinney's hands'. First Minister John Swinney has said plans to downgrade a neonatal unit are 'not about saving money' and instead about saving babies' lives, as he was pressed on the issue by Anas Sarwar. The Scottish Labour leader said the plans for the neonatal intensive care unit (Nicu) at University Hospital Wishaw show the NHS is 'simply not safe in John Swinney's hands'. An online petition against the change has surpassed 25,000 signatures. Under the Government's proposal, the Nicu at Wishaw will be downgraded to level two, meaning babies born earlier than 27 weeks will need to be transferred to another hospital. Ministers say expert advice points towards having three specialist neonatal intensive care units, in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Government also says the vast majority of babies will be cared for in their local neonatal unit, including Wishaw which will still deliver some intensive care. However campaigners have warned some mothers may face long journeys to see their newborns after birth. Raising the issue at First Minister's Questions in Holyrood on Thursday, Mr Sarwar said the unit is award-winning and asked: 'Why does the SNP want to downgrade this life-saving unit?' The First Minister said the proposals are the 'product of advice from an expert group' which recommended three specialist centres. The babies affected will only be those needing 'extremes' of care, he said. Mr Sarwar went on to say Mr Swinney is 'choosing to listen to certain experts and ignore others', as he raised the cases of two women. He said Tammy Johnston was unable to pick up her premature son Kai for four weeks. Mr Sarwar said under the plans, she could be forced to travel to Aberdeen, or further. He also said another woman, Amanda Todd, had been told she may have to give birth in Dublin due to a shortage of beds, and he added: 'Isn't it the case that the NHS is simply not safe in John Swinney's hands.' Mr Swinney said he cannot ignore expert clinical opinion. He said: 'There is nothing in the proposal about Wishaw general hospital that is about saving money, it's about maximising the chances of saving babies' lives. 'That's what the proposal is about, informed by expert opinion.' *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
John Swinney slams Russell Findlay's ‘misleading' claims at FMQs
The Scottish Tory leader pressed John Swinney at First Minister's Questions on Thursday on the guidelines – which aim to shift the focus to rehabilitation of young offenders rather than punishment with jail time. Some, including Findlay, consider them to be a 'soft-touch' approach which allows young people who commit crimes to go unpunished. But the Scottish Government has repeatedly said the eight-page document can be overruled by judges, who act independently of ministers. READ MORE: Anger as TWO Scottish Labour politicians get key BBC slot on by-election eve Findlay quoted a statement from Detective Superintendent Andy Patrick, who said in 2023 that the guidance was being exploited by criminal gangs who were 'coercing young and vulnerable people to carry out some of these crimes because they're under reduced risk of imprisonment'. But the First Minister said: 'Not for the first time, I cannot allow Mr Findlay's remarks to stand about the under-25 sentencing guidelines. 'It is misleading to say to members of the public that there are no consequences for criminal activity under the age of 25, because there are very serious consequences, which involve imprisonment.' LATEST: John Swinney has hit out at Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay for his 'misleading' narrative surrounding organised crime at FMQs 👇 🗣️ 'We just cannot have this' — The National (@ScotNational) June 5, 2025 Meanwhile, Findlay also said the Scottish Government has failed to tackle organised crime as a gang war rages across central Scotland. Police have arrested 41 people in relation to the feud after a spate of shootings, firebombings and assaults, with the probe being dubbed Operation Portaledge. Findlay said: 'These parasites grow rich by preying on society's most vulnerable. 'These cowards cause terror and death with guns, knives and fire bombs. 'These thugs go after journalists, politicians, businessmen, police and prison officers. 'Organised crime is out of control and communities are living in fear. 'Does John Swinney accept that the Scottish Parliament has failed to tackle organised crime in Scotland?' The First Minister said he does not agree with that assertion, but added: 'Organised crime is intolerable, it is unacceptable. 'It requires the forensic attention of our police and criminal justice authorities to tackle it, and that is being undertaken within Scotland on a relentless basis by Police Scotland and by the criminal justice authorities. 'I would expect the authorities to pursue that level of scrutiny and activity, and that is what is happening.' Elsewhere at FMQs, Anas Sarwar claimed the plans for the neonatal intensive care unit (Nicu) at University Hospital Wishaw show the NHS is 'simply not safe in John Swinney's hands'. An online petition against the change has surpassed 25,000 signatures. Under the Scottish Government's proposal, the Nicu at Wishaw in North Lanarkshire will be downgraded to level two, meaning babies born earlier than 27 weeks will need to be transferred to another hospital. Ministers say expert advice points towards having three specialist neonatal intensive care units, in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Scottish Government also says the vast majority of babies will be cared for in their local neonatal unit, including Wishaw which will still deliver some intensive care. However campaigners have warned some mothers may face long journeys to see their newborns after birth. Raising the issue at First Minister's Questions in Holyrood on Thursday, Sarwar said the unit is award-winning and asked: 'Why does the SNP want to downgrade this life-saving unit?' The First Minister said the proposals are the 'product of advice from an expert group' which recommended three specialist centres. The babies affected will only be those needing 'extremes' of care, he said. Sarwar went on to say Swinney is 'choosing to listen to certain experts and ignore others', as he raised the cases of two women. He said Tammy Johnston was unable to pick up her premature son Kai for four weeks. Sarwar said under the plans, she could be forced to travel to Aberdeen, or further. He also said another woman, Amanda Todd, had been told she may have to give birth in Dublin due to a shortage of beds, and he added: 'Isn't it the case that the NHS is simply not safe in John Swinney's hands.' Swinney said he cannot ignore expert clinical opinion. He said: 'There is nothing in the proposal about Wishaw general hospital that is about saving money, it's about maximising the chances of saving babies' lives. 'That's what the proposal is about, informed by expert opinion.'
Otago Daily Times
01-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Incubator to help babies in a new way
Little miracles Dunedin family support co-ordinator Shelley Gormon (centre) and Dunedin hospital neonatal intensive care unit nurses Nicole Dunford (left) and Saskia Vink transport a decommission incubator to Woolworths South Dunedin, where it will be used for fundraising. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH A piece of lifesaving equipment has a found a new home in a Dunedin supermarket, continuing to support New Zealand's littlest miracles. A decommissioned incubator has become a donation box at Woolworths Dunedin South for the Miracle Month of May, an annual campaign to raise awareness and funds for sick and premature babies and their families. Little Miracles family support co-ordinator Shelley Gormon, of Dunedin, said the money would provide fuel and food vouchers for whānau cot-side. "Of course at that time they're feeling quite vulnerable and quite traumatised, because babies going through [neonatal intensive care units] is quite an unexpected journey," she said. Every year more than 5000 babies in New Zealand started life in an incubator, either cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit (Nicu) or special care baby units. This included Mrs Gormon's now 13-year-old daughter Mia, who was born at just 28 weeks and had a 10-week Nicu stay. "[Little Miracles] didn't have a presence like we have now. "[Now] we can actually meet people and walk alongside them and share stories," she said. The charity aimed to raise $50,000 for its family assistance fund and Woolworths had already made a one-off cash donation of $20,000. During May, for every participating baby product sold in Woolworths supermarkets, the company would give 5c to the cause, Mrs Gormon said. She hoped the campaign would also raise awareness of the charity so it could continue its mahi with families across the country. Dunedin Hospital Nicu nurses Nicole Dunford and Saskia Vink helped transport the incubator and said they saw the work Little Miracles did at babies' bedsides every day. The trio were decked out in purple — the international colour for prematurity.
Telegraph
27-03-2025
- Telegraph
Migrants are returning to this Romanian city. It's not difficult to see why
Take a walk around Brasov's four layers of fortress walls, each two metres thick, and you're pulled back into the time of empires, invaders and legendary fighters. This fortified medieval town in Transylvania was one of Europe's key lines of defence against marauding Mongols and Ottomans. These days it welcomes visitors, and has been flung open to the world by a new airport opened in 2023. That's how I first experienced the city: not as a marauding invader, but swooping in on an aeroplane over the Carpathian mountains, still snow-covered in spring. My seat row companion was Nicu, a Romanian who left Brasov 25 years ago and planned to move back. 'Airports in Romania used to be a way for us to get out, to migrate,' he said. 'Now they are doors for guests to come and see our beautiful country.' Over the next few days, I met more Romanians like Nicu who moved abroad during the turbulent post-communist period of the Nineties (an estimated five million), but have since returned, each drawn by individual reasons. As a result, Brasov is bustling with new restaurants, wine bars and youthful energy. Being by mountains and lakes, it offers more variety than the urban sprawl of Bucharest, making it a perfect year-round getaway. A city built to keep people out is now a city of returns. After landing at midday at Brasov-Ghimbav International, I set out to find lunch and discover what brings people back. Perhaps it was the clean mountain air that instantly revived me. Perhaps it was the baroque houses painted in cheery Habsburg pastels, the medieval watchtowers and gothic churches that dot the town's skyline. Down a cobbled street, I found one answer at La Ceaun restaurant. This used to be a hole-in-the-wall serving local workers with big cauldrons of bubbling stews (cauldron is ceaun in Romanian). One of the co-owners, after several gruelling hospitality jobs abroad, saved enough money to go back home and expand La Ceaun into a proper restaurant with tasteful wooden interiors. My waiter, Serghei, told me this was a common story: 'We all fled abroad. Now we've seen hospitality in the UK, Spain and Italy, and we know what to do now – and how to do it better!' The food, still cooked in cauldrons, reflects the diversity of this region which has been under multiple empires in the last 1,000 years: Austro-Hungarian goulashes and strudels; Romanian sour soups with meatballs, tarragon and polenta; Ottoman-style grilled meats; and side dishes that speak to the Eastern European penchant for pickling things. The foraged pickled mushrooms were particularly excellent, the bill was very reasonable and the house offered me a Romanian brandy, Brancoveanu, as a digestif. Later, I witnessed the same local culinary pride in popular local spot Bistro de l'Arte, overseen by award-winning Brasov chef Oana Coanta for 25 years. The menu used to feature predominantly French fare but Oana now adds more Romanian dishes and wines, which are much appreciated by the clientele. I perused a list of unfamiliar, enticing wines: Băbească, Negru de Drăgășani, then savoured the dark berry and plummy notes of a Fetească neagră from Muntenia. I also sampled Papanași, a classic Transylvanian desert of soft cheese-filled dumplings rolled in cinnamon sugar. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bistro de l'Arte (@bistrodelarte) Another inspired combination of history and modernity was my hotel, Schuster House, in the old town centre. Built in 1914 in an Art Nouveau style by a wealthy Saxon merchant family, it's now a stylish boutique hotel with a cosy, woody ambience. It opened in 2021 after a three-year restoration by a Brasov entrepreneur who wanted to preserve the building's charm. The best part is the sunny roof terrace with 360-degree views across Brasov's higgledy-piggledy tiled roofs, and the mountains beyond which fuzz to purple in the evening light. In the morning I took a free two-hour walking tour that runs daily from Piata Sfatului, an open-air market square lined by picturesque 16-19th century buildings and cafes. I spotted my first Dracula cafe and shuddered – Bran Castle, 25 kilometres southwest of Brasov, has long been marketed as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Thankfully our guide, Alexey, told us a much more interesting story about Dracula's inspiration, Prince Vlad 'the Impaler' Tepes. Passing through Brasov in 1456, Vlad fell in love with a Saxon girl, Katharina Siegel, but as a Romanian, he was forbidden to marry her under strict lineage laws. He smuggled himself into the city through a network of underground tunnels. Eventually the authorities kicked him out, so he came back to take revenge in characteristic style: impaling his enemies and burning the town – Katarina subsequently ended up becoming a nun. Prince Vlad's vengeance wasn't the last time the city was set on fire – it was burnt again in 1689, hence the blackened look of the Biserica Neagră gothic church. This 'black church', and the folklore surrounding Prince Vlad, have long given Brasov a dark, mysterious appeal. However I found it to be a bright and cheerful place, full of cafes, bakeries and bars spilling over with young people. Where once there was a fortified moat, there's now a pleasant walkway with little wooden bridges, full of couples and families promenading under blossoms. The city's narrowest street (1.09 metres wide), Strada Sforii, is covered in colourful street art and lovers' graffiti. The most colourful place I found was the shop of Cosmin Velican, another returnee who runs a small business selling pottery, rosehip jams and cordials from his family rose farm. His vibrant cups are used in hipster cafes across Brasov. Cosmin works the clay and his wife and mother paint the ceramics in exquisite designs. He lived several years in Wisconsin but said: 'I realised I was only ever going to be an employee and never the manager so I came back.' His countryside grandfather taught him to work wood and clay when he was a boy, and as an adult he was drawn back to his rural roots. He also runs hiking tours in the Carpathians, seeks out mineral springs, and promotes sustainable tourism. 'People's symbiosis with nature here is amazing,' he said. 'There's a Romanian saying: you go to the forest to lose your mind and find your soul.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by THE LOCALS SOUVENIR AND GIFT SHOP BRASOV (@velican_trandafir) I took his advice, and the next day headed to Zăbala, a castle surrounded by forests just under an hour's drive from Brasov. This was much better than visiting the touristy Bran castle, because I could stay overnight – now a charming hotel, the castles brings Transylvania's lost golden era of Princes and Princesses to life. The surrounding mountains were beautiful as Cosmin promised – though smaller than the Alps, the Carpathians somehow feel more ancient, like they've grown wise on all the turbulent history they've seen. I lingered all the next day at Zabola estate, sitting on the grand terrace with a book, then puttering about in a rowing boat on the lake. By the time I returned to Brasov it was nearly sunset, and I dashed to the Sub Tampa cable car station to catch the last ride up to Brasovs Tampa hilltop viewpoint. Supper at the Sub Tampa restaurant was goulash in a bowl made from bread; perfect post-hiking fare. I topped it off with pálinka, the local grappa made from apples or grapes – a drink perfect for ruminating on this town of defence, dangerous love liaisons and émigrés called back by the pull of home. Essentials Wizz Air flies from London Luton to Brasov from £18. Hotel Schuster boarding house has rooms from £113 per night. Zabola Estate has rooms from £99.
Khaleej Times
31-01-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Miracle baby weighing only 500g survives after multiple surgeries, 137 days in ICU
Born at just 22.5 weeks and weighing a mere 500g, baby Salama entered the world against unimaginable odds. She was supposed to have a twin brother, but he didn't survive. She didn't have much chance, too, but with the dedication of a medical team and the unshakeable love of her family, Salama defied every expectation. The Emirati baby girl had to spend first four-and-a-half months of her life with tubes attached to her body, connecting her to the monitoring machines at the neonatal intensive care unit (Nicu) at Burjeel Medical City (BMC) in Abu Dhabi. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Her mum, Sina Saleh, couldn't forget the day she was rushed to the hospital carrying her twins in her fifth month of pregnancy. "I was visiting my father's home in Abu Dhabi when I suddenly experienced severe abdominal pain," Sina said. She was immediately taken to the BMC, where she received the shocking news: She was in early labour. Doctors worked hard to keep the babies in their mother's womb for at least 10 more days to improve their chance of survival. However, Salama's twin brother didn't make it. 'I was terrified of losing Salama too, just as I lost my son. It was the most difficult time for my husband and me,' said Sina, who also has a five-year-old daughter. Fighting for her life Baby Salama's initial condition was extremely precarious, said Dr Inayat Musaddaq, consultant neonatologist and deputy head of department at BMC. 'She was born with immature lungs and multiple medical complications. The biggest hurdles were securing her airway, establishing a ventilation strategy, and managing her feeding intolerance,' he said. A team of neonatologists, neonatal nurses, respiratory therapists, physiotherapists, and paediatric specialists in surgery, cardiology, pulmonology, and ophthalmology all worked together to give the baby the best possible chance. At just a few weeks old, she faced a life-threatening emergency — a ruptured intestine that caused severe abdominal distention and infection. Dr Raja Sekhar Cingapagu, a paediatric surgeon, led the complex procedure that saved her life. 'Operating on a baby weighing just 500g, with multiple medical issues, required extreme precision and caution. We performed a temporary intestinal outlet (stoma) to collect her stool and later conducted additional surgeries to restore intestinal continuity,' said Dr Cingapagu. For Sina, every day was an emotional roller-coaster. 'Every operation was exhausting, and the anxiety was overwhelming. Breastfeeding was a challenge, but with the medical team's support, I was able to provide her with breast milk through a bottle,' she said. Recovery Thanks to surgical intervention and specialised care, Salama not only survived but began to thrive. Her discharge from the hospital was a moment of joy. 'It's incredibly rare for babies born at 22 weeks to go home successfully. When Salama was weaned off oxygen and could feed by mouth, it was a celebration for the entire team,' said Dr Musaddaq. For Sina and her family, the journey was nothing short of miraculous. 'We spent over four and a half months in the Nicu — it became our second home, and the staff became our family. They gave us strength and hope. Thanks to the Almighty and the incredible medical team, Salama is now growing and thriving like any other child her age,' she said.
