Speaking
during
Patient
Safety
Day
on
Wednesday,
Consultant
Paediatrician
Dr
Wedu
Ndebele
said
hygiene
and
innovation
were
critical
in
reducing
preventable
deaths
among
newborns.
“One
of
the
top
three
causes
of
death
in
the
neonatal
unit
is
infection,
and
the
biggest
impact
we
can
make
is
ensuring
that
hands
are
washed
before
entering
the
unit
or
handling
medication,”
Dr
Ndebele
said.
Neonatal
refers
to the
first
28
days
of
a
newborn
baby’s
life,
a
crucial
period
for
rapid
physical,
emotional,
and
developmental
changes,
as
well
as
the
highest
risk
of
death.
He
urged
both
medical
staff
and
the
wider
community
to
adopt
new
approaches
to
child
safety.
“It’s
all
up
to
us
to
innovate.
Even
if
you
are
not
in
the
medical
field,
you
can
think
of
safer
strategies.
For
example,
if
I
can
see
my
patient
without
touching
them,
that
makes
them
safer
because
hands
are
not
always
clean
until
they
are
washed
or
sanitised,”
he
added.
Dr
Ndebele
also
highlighted
the
role
of
parents,
stressing
the
importance
of
educating
mothers
on
child
care
beyond
the
hospital.
“It
is
us
who
are
supposed
to
educate
the
mother
on
how
to
keep
the
child
in
good
health.
Safety
is
not
only
in
the
hospital
but
also
at
home
and
in
the
environment
where
they
live,”
he
said.
Turning
to
poverty
and
malnutrition,
he
said
children’s
safety
is
also
undermined
by
poor
living
conditions.
“Poverty
results
in
malnutrition,
which
undercuts
50
percent
of
all
deaths
in
children,”
he
warned.
The
paediatrician
emphasised
the
need
to
restore
Mpilo’s
past
reputation
as
a
“baby-friendly
hospital,”
saying
breastfeeding
and
skin-to-skin
care
were
simple,
cost-effective
interventions
that
save
lives.
“Breastfeeding
reduces
mortality
from
every
cause.
It
costs
nothing
as
long
as
the
mother
is
alive.
Yet
today,
Mpilo
would
fail
baby-friendly
standards
because
mothers
are
not
being
supported
to
breastfeed
within
30
minutes
of
birth,”
Dr
Ndebele
said.
He
added
that
skin-to-skin
care,
also
known
as
kangaroo
care,
was
an
affordable
intervention
that
improves
babies’
growth,
breathing
and
heart
function,
while
also
strengthening
the
bond
between
parent
and
child.
“Right
now,
I
can
point
to
a
baby
in
the
ward
who
is
dehydrated
simply
because
the
mother
was
not
taught
how
to
breastfeed,”
he
said.