Kangaroo Mother Care - Helping Achieve the Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals, popularly referred to as MDG's are one of the most widely ratified developmental targets in the world.
The MDG's were established in 2000 after the Millennium Summit in which all world leaders that were present adopted the UN Millennium Declaration.
There are 8 goals in the Millennium Development Goals outlining 21 targets.
Goal four of the MDG's outlines the target of reducing child mortality rate.
Specifically, nations should aspire to reduce the mortality rate of children less than five years by two thirds between the years 1990 and 2015.
Rapid progress was made after the initiation of the MDG's.
About 5.
6 million neonatal deaths used to be registered globally in the mid 1990s.
This reduced to about 4 million in 2000 and attention has been focused on newborn deaths since then.
However, more still needs to be done because 3.
6 million newborns are currently dying each year; yet, 2015 is almost upon us.
Despite the fact that attention is focused on new born deaths, there doesn't appear to be commensurate investment in resources and skill development that would go a long way in eradicating or at least greatly reducing global infant mortality to less than 10, 000.
It is a fact that about one third of new born deaths occur as a result of preventable causes especially, premature births and low birth weight.
If nations can be address the issue of prematurity and low birth weights, a huge dent can be made on the 3.
6 million annual infant deaths.
The problem arises because most doctors do not prescribe Kangaroo Mother Care as a method of care for premature infants.
This happens in most cases because medical professionals simply have not been provided with this information.
In many hospitals around the world, doctors prefer to use special incubation systems even where the infants are able to breathe on their own.
Kangaroo Mother Care Kangaroo Mother Care has been shown to be extremely beneficial for preemies.
The skin-to-skin contact between the mother and infant has been proven to help regulate temperature, improve breathing and help the child feed better.
A feeding child is better able to fight infections especially where breastfed (about 900,000 infants die as a result of neonatal infection).
Despite this cheap and effective way to improve the odds for a premature baby, medical professionals in many parts of the world rarely give parents this option.
It is high time that governments around the world carried out serious continuing professional education for medical professionals to equip them with information on Kangaroo Mother Care.
This is a cost effective way to ensure that MDG number four is met by 2015.
The MDG's were established in 2000 after the Millennium Summit in which all world leaders that were present adopted the UN Millennium Declaration.
There are 8 goals in the Millennium Development Goals outlining 21 targets.
Goal four of the MDG's outlines the target of reducing child mortality rate.
Specifically, nations should aspire to reduce the mortality rate of children less than five years by two thirds between the years 1990 and 2015.
Rapid progress was made after the initiation of the MDG's.
About 5.
6 million neonatal deaths used to be registered globally in the mid 1990s.
This reduced to about 4 million in 2000 and attention has been focused on newborn deaths since then.
However, more still needs to be done because 3.
6 million newborns are currently dying each year; yet, 2015 is almost upon us.
Despite the fact that attention is focused on new born deaths, there doesn't appear to be commensurate investment in resources and skill development that would go a long way in eradicating or at least greatly reducing global infant mortality to less than 10, 000.
It is a fact that about one third of new born deaths occur as a result of preventable causes especially, premature births and low birth weight.
If nations can be address the issue of prematurity and low birth weights, a huge dent can be made on the 3.
6 million annual infant deaths.
The problem arises because most doctors do not prescribe Kangaroo Mother Care as a method of care for premature infants.
This happens in most cases because medical professionals simply have not been provided with this information.
In many hospitals around the world, doctors prefer to use special incubation systems even where the infants are able to breathe on their own.
Kangaroo Mother Care Kangaroo Mother Care has been shown to be extremely beneficial for preemies.
The skin-to-skin contact between the mother and infant has been proven to help regulate temperature, improve breathing and help the child feed better.
A feeding child is better able to fight infections especially where breastfed (about 900,000 infants die as a result of neonatal infection).
Despite this cheap and effective way to improve the odds for a premature baby, medical professionals in many parts of the world rarely give parents this option.
It is high time that governments around the world carried out serious continuing professional education for medical professionals to equip them with information on Kangaroo Mother Care.
This is a cost effective way to ensure that MDG number four is met by 2015.
