Speaking
at
the
Patient
Safety
Day
programme
held
on
Wednesday
at
the
hospital,
under
the
theme
“Safe
care
for
every
newborn
and
every
child,”
Consultant
Paediatrician,
Dr
Wedu
Ndebele,
noted
that
while
overall
child
mortality
has
declined,
neonatal
deaths
have
not
shown
a
corresponding
drop.
“When
I
was
in
training,
neonatal
deaths
contributed
to
about
38
percent
of
under-five
deaths.
Today,
globally,
neonatal
deaths
contribute
about
50
percent
of
all
under-five
deaths.
This
signifies
that
we
have
not
had
an
effective
impact
on
neonatal
deaths
as
we
have
in
other
programmes,”
said
Ndebele.
He
said
neonatal
deaths
have
neither
increased
nor
decreased
significantly,
highlighting
the
need
to
focus
efforts
on
ensuring
newborn
survival.
“Our
efforts
have
not
been
very
successful
in
reducing
neonatal
deaths
and
hence
we
now
contribute
50
percent
of
all
under-five
deaths.
The
focus
is
on
them
today,
to
make
them
safe
so
that
they
survive,”
Ndebele
added.
Mpilo
Hospital
Acting
Director
of
Operations,
Phineas
Sithole,
called
for
patient
safety
to
be
recognised
as
a
right
rather
than
a
privilege.
“When
we
receive
a
patient
in
the
hospital,
we
are
entering
an
agreement
to
help
them
recover
from
their
illness,”
he
said.
“This
must
be
done
in
a
safe
environment,
not
only
safe
from
injury
but
also
from
malnutrition
and
other
preventable
harms.
We
should
look
at
the
individual
holistically,
explain
what
is
happening,
discuss
with
the
patient,
and
listen
to
them.”
Mpilo
Hospital
Public
Relations
Officer,
Sister
Noma
Mabhena,
reaffirmed
the
hospital’s
commitment
to
safer
healthcare.
“Today
we
join
the
global
community
in
reaffirming
our
commitment
to
making
healthcare
safer
for
every
patient
who
passes
through
our
hands,”
said
Mabhena.
Child
deaths
remain
a
pressing
concern
at
Mpilo
and
last
year
CITE
investigated
how
280
child
deaths
were
recorded
in
the
first
four
months
of
2024,
most
of
them
neonatal.
Neonatal
deaths
occur
within
the
first
28
days
of
life
and
are
often
linked
to
preventable
conditions
such
as
premature
birth,
lack
of
oxygen
at
birth,
infections,
and
birth
defects.
Statistics
showed
that
child
deaths
increased
between
January
and
March
2024
before
dropping
in
April,
despite
ongoing
Ministry
of
Health
and
Child
Care
interventions
to
protect
pregnant
women
and
newborns.
Neonatal
mortality
is
a
critical
component
of
child
mortality,
which
measures
deaths
of
children
under
five
per
1
000
live
births.
Officials
say
targeted
interventions,
improved
patient
safety
practices,
and
community
awareness
are
essential
to
reversing
the
trend
and
ensuring
that
every
newborn
has
a
chance
to
survive
and
thrive.