Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, has praised the World Health Organisation, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the research team behind the Kangaroo Mother Care Project for low-weight newborns for selecting his state as one of the five to get assistance from the programme.
During an advocacy visit by officials of the WHO, Federal Ministry of Health, and members of the investigation team working on the project, Adeleke spoke in Osogbo, the state capital.
The governor further stated that the “Kangaroo Mother Care Project would promote healthy living, especially for the mothers and low-weight babies,” adding that “implementation of the initiative would start from the state Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro and later expand to other state hospitals.” The governor was represented by the Chairman of the Osun State Hospital Management Board, Dr. Kola Akinrinoye.
In a statement cited in a bulletin released by the Ministry of Information on Wednesday, the governor said, “We wish you the best and assure you that the administration is ready to engage with the team in the hope that future World Health Organisation activities will come to the state.
Prof. Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, the principal investigator, previously discussed the advantages of kangaroo mother care, which involves holding a baby close to the mother’s bosom for skin-to-skin contact, for infants, particularly those who are born underweight.
When paired with exclusive breastfeeding, Adejuyigbe, who has said that Kangaroo mother care had the potential to save up to 150,000 lives or more per year, adding, it would also promote the physical health of low-weight newborns, strengthening the link between the mother and baby.
Research conducted in five nations, including Nigeria and India, revealed that keeping the mother and baby together in KMC has many benefits, including the provision of warmth for the newborn, early mother breastfeeding, and infection prevention, according to Prof. Harish Chellani, a consultant working with the WHO.
