In Panama, 9.8% of newborns are premature, below 37 weeks and with low weight at birth, 10.1% are reported. Against this, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) promotes the Kangaroo Mom program, whose main objective is is to reduce neonatal mortality.
According to Yiniba Gonzalez, head of the Minsa’s sexual and reproductive health section, this program is not new, since it is carried out in multiple countries with the support of Unicef and the objective is for the premature newborn to receive adequate nutrition; the warmth of the mother and father, which has been shown to be beneficial for the recovery of the child.
Another alarming figure given by Mario Rodríguez, coordinator of the Minsa’s Children and Adolescents section, is that out of every 100 pregnancies, 15 are born prematurely; For this reason, he recommended that mothers have prenatal check-ups, with all supplementary foods and adequate follow-up of pregnancies.
For her part, Yohana Amaya Pinzón, coordinator of Unicef Panama, indicated that the Kangaroo Mothers program consists of promoting skin-to-skin contact with newborns and preventing them from suffering from stress.
“Breastfeeding is promoted and skills are generated so that the mom and dad pair can interact effectively and healthy for the recovery of the infant,” concluded Amaya.
Image: UNICEF
