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19 March 2024

Kangaroo Care in Dubai will save pre-term baby

Treatment for diabetes and pre-diabetes conditions will now be covered in your basic medical insurance, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has announced.

Published
By Wam

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) highlighted the importance of Kangaroo Care, which is one of the most promising ways to save preterm and low-birth weight babies.

Information was disseminated via DHA’s #smart clinic to more than 70,000 followers of the DHA page (DHA_Dubai) on Twitter.

Additionally, Dubai Hospital also conducted a public awareness campaign in its hospital to educate patients and visitors about kangaroo care.
 
Dr. Maryam Abdulrahman Al Sada, paediatrician at Dubai Hospital, said: "Kangaroo care is a technique practiced on newborn, usually preterm infants wherein the infant is held, skin-to-skin, with an adult. 

“At Dubai Hospital, we encourage all mothers, even those who have given birth to full-term healthy babies, to follow this technique because of the immense benefits of the baby.
 
"Studies have found that skin-to-skin holding stabilizes heart and respiratory rates, improves oxygen saturation rates, better regulates an infant's body temperature, and conserves a baby's calories because the extra sleep that the infant gets snuggling with mom and the assistance in regulating body temperature helps the baby conserve energy and redirects calorie expenditures toward growth and weight gain. 

“Due to Kangaroo Care the baby becomes colonised with the mother’s own bacteria which prevents the baby from developing severe infections. Research has also shown that kangaroo care results in positive effects on brain development."
 
Dubai hospital ensures that all babies who are fit, undergo kangaroo care.

If the mother is unwell, the hospital encourages other family members such as the father or the grandmother to provide kangaroo care.