Posted on: 08 Jun 2016
Elected last month, Councillor Saghir experienced the heartbreak of losing his son at three months old after a premature birth. Both his daughters, now 15 and 25, were also born prematurely.
Councillor Saghir says: “When deciding on which charities I would like to support during my year in office I wanted to choose one that would reflect my personal experience of having a premature baby.
“Having looked at the excellent work that the Tiny Babies Appeal does in support of patients and families at the City Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre Neonatal Units, I decided that I would like to support them by asking them to be one of my charities for the year.”
Of the 10,000 babies born in the East Midlands each year, 10% of them, or 1,000 tiny babies, will need life-saving support. They are all cared for at the Neonatal Units at Nottingham’s hospitals, including babies born at other hospitals requiring special medical or surgical care.
Premature and sick new-born babies receive specially tailored care at the two units at the City Hospital and Queens’s Medical Centre where parents and families also receive the care and advice they need.
The Tiny Babies Appeal is vital in providing state-of-the-art equipment, carrying out research to improve care for tiny patients and supporting parents and families who have premature or sick new-born babies at what is a difficult and emotional time.
NHC Chief Executive Barbara Cathcart says: “We’re delighted that the new Lord Mayor, Councillor Mohammed Saghir, has chosen to support our Tiny Babies Appeal. His support will give the appeal a real boost and help raise the profile of this vital funding to ensure our youngest patients and their families receive the specially tailored care and support that they need. We look forward to working with Councillor Saghir throughout the year.”