30 Kangaroo mother care units to be opened in Odisha

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Oct 1:

Newborns with low birth weight will be given special care in Odisha. Kangaroo mother care units will provide specialised treatment to such premature babies.

Mothers are supposed to keep their babies close to their bodies like kangaroos to help in their mental development. This will encourage faster recovery of babies in Sick Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) and will reduce the duration of their stay in the hospital. In collaboration with National Health Mission (NHM), 30 kangaroo units will be established within the next 2-3 months.

Low birth weight is one of the reasons for the high rate of neonatal deaths in Odisha and India. Those who recover sometimes have poor mental development; the  Kangaroo mother care units will come to the help of such neonates.

According to NHM child health consultant Aditya Mahapatra, newborns with less than 2.5 kg weight will be kept in the kangaroo mother care units. The mothers in these units will keep their babies attached to their bodies for 10 to 12 hours. The body warmth of the mothers will help in early revival of these babies. For this, there will be 8 to 10 beds and chairs in these units, where mothers can sit or sleep according to their own will.

Premature babies were kept in SNCU units without their mothers for 45 days. But now the child will be kept attached to the mother. After birth, the doctors will check the health of the babies and then transfer them to the kangaroo care unit. These units will have 4-5 nurses to look after the mother and child care and encourage breastfeeding among the mothers.The entry will be restricted to the care unit.

These units will be opened in Capital hospital, SCB medical College and government hospitals in some districts.