OUR 40th Anniversary - Healing Kids: The National Project
Phase II Contributing Towards Reducing Infant Mortality
Current statistics indicate that more than 20 000 newborn babies die in
this country each year – many of them, due to avoidable or preventable
causes. Meanwhile, South Africa committed itself during the year 2000
to meeting the United Nations Millennium Goal 4, which is to reduce our
neonatal mortality rate (NMR) by two-thirds by the year 2015.
After an intensive screening process, the Foundation selected 12 public
hospitals to receive funding as part of Phase II of the Healing Kids
project during late 2007. These hospitals each submitted detailed action
plans, aimed at reducing their respective neonatal mortality rates to the
Foundation. Such plans were based on the Fuchs Neonatal Mortality
Reduction Funding Model, involving an integrated low-technology
approach to addressing the neonatal mortality causes and those factors
associated with mortality avoidance.
The Fuchs Foundation Funding Model
The funding model was constructed with the assistance of paediatric
and neonatal experts, including guidance from the Medical Research
Council of South Africa and aimed at contributing to a reduction in infant
mortality rates around the country. The elements included in the model
were divided into three clusters:
| • |
Kangeroo Mother Care (KMC)-related facilities and practices |
| • |
care-giving facilities, infrastructure and equipment, specifically
involving ventilation-related capacity |
| • |
care-giving environment best practice, including staff training. |
Related to these issues, the following areas were nominated for funding:
| • |
staff training |
| • |
equipment |
| • |
infrastructure and care-giving facilities |
| • |
KMC programmes |
| • |
nutrition facilities, including human milk banks |
| • |
environmental improvements to enhance infant neurodevelopmental
care |
| • |
management and staff awareness programmes. |
Here the beneficiaries,
in the various clusters, were:
• Gauteng Province
• Free State & Northern Cape Province
• Western Cape Province
• Eastern Cape Province
• KwaZulu-Natal Province
• Mpumalanga, North-West & Limpopo Provinces
