Dr Ousmane Ndiaye- Senegal

Neonatal mortality rate is a good health indicator in developing countries where it is still very high. About1 out of 4 newborn children die during the neonatal period and 3/4 of the deaths are recruited among the premature. Colds relating to the absence of incubators and infections are the major causes of such deaths.

The establishment of kangaroo units could be a real alternative to this shortage of incubators. Yet their introduction is presently made very difficult for reasons relating to the knowledge people have of the method and to cultural as well as material and organisational reasons.

Our solution advocates the following approach:

Assessing the knowledge of the method so as to better target the groups to be sensitized;

Setting up of a" kangaroo care ward" that will receive mothers on a half time basis, to educate them and teach them the method;

Integrating the kangaroo method with the already existing breast feeding and nutritional monitoring policy.