By Majona Jabesi Mnjuzi
Mchinji, December 13, Mana: Ministry of Health says there is need to construct proper heath infrastructure expansion in Kangaroo departments to combat the country’s growing infant mortality rate.
Speaking during a commemoration of World Prematurity Day in Mchinji, Thursday, Dr. Julien Chunda, Chief of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, highlighted that many health centers have limited kangaroo infrastructures that can reduce preventable death of infants and new-born babies.
“As a country we did not think well when we were designing the maternity wing. Usually the way it was designed, it just had the woman in mind and not for the baby. Thus, it means if a baby comes out and have complications, we are unable to take care of the baby and are they usually taken to cardiac ward.
"But in a proper set-up, you need to have labour and neonatal wards because these are very specific problems and they need to be sorted at a very specific ward. So, moving forward as a country, we want to redesign the maternity wings across the country. We believe this will significantly improve survival rates and outcomes for preterm infants,” stated Chunda.
Meanwhile, NEST 360 Country Director in Malawi, Evelin Zimba, has applauded government for the partnership and urged swift funding allocation for sustainable project implementation across all healthy centres in Malawi.
“We believe if we are to save life of new baby, born prematurely and are sick, we need to have a package of services which includes the provision of services, training of health workers and quality of care. All these services require money.
“So when government come with the budget, they should put aside enough money for supporting this initiative in various health centers across the country,” Zimba said.
Jesse Kadango, mother of a six-year child who was born prematurely, witnessed the positive impact of Kangaroo for child care and growth.
“I gave birth to twin babies. One prematurely and another one was strong and mature enough. Unfortunately, the one who was mature enough passed away and leaving me with the premature baby. The doctor advised me to go through Kangaroo. After following the advice, my child was saved and now she is in standard one,” said Kadango.
The World Prematurity Day is commemorated on November 17th each year, but in Malawi, the day was commemorated on December 12 under the theme, “Over 13 million babies born prematurely every year. Access to quality care everywhere.”
The theme is a call for urgent action to close the gap, advocating for better maternal and neonatal care across the country.
