Sensitive Midwifery - Issue 43 - July2019

For your little one Soothe , Heal & Protect Manufactured for and on behalf of House of Zinplex (Pty) Ltd. t: 086 111 9462 | f: 012 803 9283 w: www.zinplex.co.za | e: info@zinplex.co.za • Improves concentration • Relieves stress • Releases energy • It’s used by almost every cell in the body and helps to regulate muscle contractions, hormonal release, heartbeat, and blood clotting • With added vitamin D3 • Boosting the immune system • The treatment of acute and chronic broncial disorders • Supporting and improving respiratory function in patients with chronic bronchitis Essential vitamins for mom Spreading the love Kalafong Hospital very quickly became a centre of excellence for the training and implementation of KMC. All hospitals in Gauteng have received training at Kalafong Hospital by Dr Van Rooyen and Dr Anne-Marie Bergh, senior researcher at the Medical Research Unit, to enable them to implement KMC in their individual hospitals. Health workers in hospitals from Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West and the Free State have also all received training either on site or off site, and Kalafong KMC unit has had and trained many international visitors over the 20 years of the unit’s existence. Dr Van Rooyen developed a special wrap to tie the babies securely skin-to-skin to the mothers’ chests. This wrap became known as thari, and is being used nationally as well as internationally. It’s official policy! Over the years, more and more research has found that KMC is a low-tech, high-impact intervention that can save premature infants’ lives. The World Health Organization, UNICEF and other NGO’s promoting neonatal care, such as Save the Children, have committed themselves to the implementation of KMC worldwide. It is now national and provincial policy that all South African hospitals with maternity facilities should provide a room or space for the practice of KMC. Over the past couple of years, Dr Van Rooyen has been contracted by UNICEF New York’s office to provide training for many countries. Some of the training has taken place in the individual country, such as The Gambia in West Africa, Kenya and Iran, while other training of international health workers has been held at Kalafong Hospital. Most health workers have gone home, inspired to attain the same standard of KMC as seen at Kalafong Hospital. Dr Elise van Rooyen with a KMC mother and baby Mom & Baby 20 eSensitive Midwifery Magazine Issue 43