Ministry launches newborn care plan to reduce death of preterm babies

The Ministry of Health has rolled out a comprehensive newborn care programme to reduce neonatal deaths in the country.

The newborn care training package is meant to give health workers skills on how to take care of preterm babies.

Health CS Deborah Barasa, Health Director Patrick Amoth and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga said the guideline would be used to raise awareness on premature birth.

Prematurity is one of the leading causes of death in children under the age of five years worldwide. Preterm babies are children born before the completion of 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Barasa said preterm birth complications cause deaths among children below five years in the country.

“The programme has methods which when used can help to reduce the number of babies who die during birth. Let’s embrace it to ensure we prevent unnecessary deaths,” Barasa said.

Speaking when they marked this year’s World Prematurity Day at Kenya Medical Training College grounds in Homa Bay town on Monday, Barasa called for concerted efforts for the programme to achieve its objective.

According to the ministry, 12 per cent of all live births (between 100,000 to 150,000 ) annually are preterm.

Prematurity also causes neonatal deaths in the country, with the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey report indicating a mortality rate of 21 per 1,000 live births. 

“The figure has not changed since 2014. Neonatal deaths account for 51 per cent of under-five mortality in Kenya yet many of these tragedies are avoidable through proven cost effective intervention,” she said.

The CS said there is need to bridge the gap in care that hinders the survival of newborns.

Mothers were encouraged to provide breast milk and monitor feeding of their babies as well as respiratory support through the use of machines such as CPAP, caffeine citrate and provision of oxygen where needed.

The comprehensive newborn care guidelines will be used by healthcare workers to sensitise mothers on taking care of babies. The ministry also distributed CPAP machines for newborn children to help babies with breathing complications after birth.