Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) Founder, Her Excellency Mrs Toyin Saraki, has called for the urgent standardisation and full integration of neonatal jaundice management into Nigeria’s healthcare system to prevent avoidable newborn deaths and lifelong disabilities. The call was made at the final quarterly stakeholder meeting of Project Oscar – Light for Life, held on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, at the Skills Lab Centre, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.
Delivering welcome remarks on behalf of Her Excellency, WBFA emphasised that while neonatal jaundice is globally recognised as manageable and treatable, it continues to contribute to preventable deaths and conditions such as kernicterus and cerebral palsy in Nigeria due to persistent systemic gaps. “Neonatal jaundice remains the most common medical condition affecting newborns in their first days of life. The challenge is not a lack of knowledge or solutions. It is the persistence of gaps in early detection, timely referral, access to functional equipment, reliable power supply, and community awareness,” the statement read.
Project Oscar – Light for Life was conceived specifically to address these barriers through a comprehensive systems-strengthening approach. Funded by Reckitt as a social impact partnership, the initiative is implemented by WBFA in collaboration with technical partners NEST360 and SCIDaR (Solina), working closely with the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Lagos State Primary Health Care Management Board. The project was designed not as a standalone intervention, but as an integrated model embedded across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care.
Over the course of implementation, the initiative has recorded measurable and meaningful impact. Screening protocols have been standardised in 16 health facilities, ensuring consistent early detection practices. Hospitals have been equipped with functional bilirubinometers and phototherapy units to strengthen diagnostic and treatment capacity. A total of 290 healthcare workers have received specialised training to enhance frontline response and case management. Nearly 30,000 women have been reached with lifesaving knowledge to improve awareness and care-seeking behaviours. More than 8,800 newborns have been screened, with over 900 receiving timely treatment to prevent avoidable complications.
“Behind each of these figures is a child whose life trajectory has been protected and a family spared avoidable grief,” the statement noted. “This is what systems strengthening looks like. It is data-driven, partnership-led, anchored in policy alignment and global best practice, and rooted in the belief that every Nigerian child deserves a healthy start to life.”
Mrs Saraki emphasised that sustainability and policy integration must now become the collective focus. She urged stakeholders to ensure neonatal jaundice management is not treated as a temporary project outcome, but fully standardised, embedded, and safeguarded within broader maternal and newborn health frameworks nationwide.
In response, the Lagos State Government reaffirmed its commitment to the sustainable integration of Project Oscar into routine maternal and child health services. Dr Bolade Kokoye, Director of Family Health and Nutrition at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, stated that the initiative directly supports the state’s mandate to protect its youngest and most vulnerable citizens. “These numbers represent real children and families spared from preventable harm. They also demonstrate a successful model of integrated care across primary, secondary, and tertiary facilities — a model we are keen to strengthen and scale,” she said.
Dr Kokoye further confirmed that the Ministry is committed to embedding the protocols, technologies, and referral pathways refined through Project Oscar into routine maternal and child health services across Lagos State, ensuring continuity beyond the project lifecycle.
The stakeholder meeting concluded with renewed resolve among partners to build on the progress achieved, sharpen implementation strategies, and deepen collaboration. The shared vision remains clear: every newborn in Lagos — and ultimately across Nigeria — must be screened, protected, and given the healthy start to life they deserve.