Executive Director in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe, has urged expecting mothers to seek healthcare and attend antenatal care to ensure healthy pregnancies and the safe arrival of their babies.
Nangombe made the call on Wednesday during the commemoration of World Prematurity Day, aimed at focusing global attention on the burden of pre-term birth, a health condition that in many instances leads to long-term morbidity and infant mortality.
Nangombe said the number of pre-term births are rising, and some premature babies do not make it due to a number of factors, including delayed health seeking behaviour by some expectant mothers who present late at health facilities, delay in antenatal care, mothers who simply do not attend antenatal care or mothers choosing home births and only going to hospital once their baby is in a poor state of health.
“We must be committed to the prevention of pre-term births. Therefore, let us stand together and help prevent sexual abuse and teenage pregnancies, encourage all expectant mothers to attend antenatal care early in their pregnancy and encourage men to participate in the emotional, spiritual and financial support of mothers and their children by being active and involved fathers,” Nangombe urged.
He said medical and nursing care in Namibia has improved significantly, ensuring that babies weighing about 1 000 grams or in some cases less than that, survive and go home to their families.
He said reports from facilities such as Windhoek Central, Onandjokwe, Rundu and the Katima Mulilo State Hospital point to improved outcomes in maternal and neonatal care. Windhoek Central Hospital has up to 35 beds for pre-term babies, while the Rundu Maternity Hospital can accommodate up to 35 babies in an intensive care setting, and Katima Mulilo accommodates up to 12 babies, with a new unit currently being set up to accommodate more than 20 babies.
Nangombe said through programmes such as maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response or maternal and newborn care collaborative initiative and review committees, the ministry and its partners are committed to improving the lives of mothers and newborn babies throughout Namibia.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
