Uganda marks World Prematurity Day

As Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Prematurity Day, the Ministry of Health is to promote skin-to-skin care of premature children as a healing measure.

To kick start the event, a team from the Ministry of Health led by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Diana Atwiine, on Friday inspected the Neonatal units at both Kawempe and the Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital.

At the end of the tour, the team and other stakeholders convened at Queen Elizabeth Nursing School in Mulago to conclude the celebrations.

During the tour, health administrators had an on-spot-assessment of the challenges faced by both parents and medical personnel while caring for premature babies.

The day that is celebrated on November 17 annually is aimed at raising awareness of the challenges and burden of preterm birth globally. The theme for this year is "Small Actions, Big Impact: Immediate skin-to-skin care for every baby everywhere."

Prematurity, according to the Ministry of Health is the second leading cause of Neonatal deaths in Uganda.

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 10 of all babies are born preterm - before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Causes of such deaths in Uganda like in other Sub-Saharan African countries include; sepsis/pneumonia, tetanus, diarrhoea, prematurity, and birth asphyxia, a condition arising when the body is deprived of oxygen, causing unconsciousness or death; suffocation.