Busia government has adopted Kangaroo Mother Care to reduce the neonatal mortality rate. The county has a mortality rate of 21 deaths in every 1,000 live births.
Child health coordinator Grace Midambo said the initiative is cost-effective and will ensure child survival.
Kangaroo Mother Care is a method of caring for preterm or low birth-weight infants that involves continuous skin-to-skin contact with the mother, father or another caregiver.
Midambo said premature and low birth weight are the two leading causes of neonatal mortality.
She said the initiative will reduce the number of referrals to the Busia County Referral Hospital. Midambo spoke during training for health workers in KMC in Busia on Monday.
The training was co-sponsored by Nutrition International. She said the training aligns with the county’s nurturing care initiative.
“This training on KMC has motivated health workers to revive the initiative in their subcounty facilities,” she said.
County programme coordinator for Nutrition International Juliet Nduta promised to support subcounty facilities to increase community awareness on KMC.
“We want communities to be more informed about supporting preterm and low birth weight babies through this life-saving intervention,” she said.
The Department of Health, Nutrition International and the Ministry of Health’s division of family wellness, nutrition and dietetics also launched training for healthcare workers.
The training seeks to promote, protect and support breastfeeding as a high-impact nutrition intervention to reduce infant and child morbidity and mortality rates.
The recently released Kenya Demographic and Health Survey triggered the training.
“With our strong partnership with Nutrition International, we expect to see county health facilities certified and accredited as Baby Friendly,” public health and sanitation chief officer Susan Outa said.
She said all facilities have received funding to establish breastfeeding corners, with plans to extend these spaces to informal sectors such as marketplaces, enabling mothers to provide optimal care for their babies.
Outa said the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is focused on giving children the best start within the critical first 1,000 days of life, which tends to improve early breastfeeding rates, supports mothers during antenatal care and ensures quality postnatal care within 48 hours of birth.
The strategy then transitions them to community-based support through baby-friendly community initiatives.
“The Facility Improvement Fund Act will enable facilities to incorporate Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative activities into their planning, ensuring sustainability and promoting healthier outcomes for infants and we are committed to establishing functional newborn units, postnatal care facilities and kangaroo care to enhance mother-child service delivery,” Outa said.
Dr Emma Namulala, a paediatrician at Busia County Referral Hospital said statistics show KMC improves outcomes for low-birth weight babies.
“We need to ensure more of these
vulnerable newborns survive,” she
said.
The Sustainable Development Goal
seeks to achieve 12 deaths per 1,000
live births by 2030.
