THE JR Borja General Hospital (JRBGH) has launched its Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) unit in a bid to achieve a zero neonatal or newborn mortality rate at the City Hospital.

Dr. Stephanie Alagadan, chief of JRBGH's pediatric unit said the Kangaroo care is a method wherein the baby is held against the mother's chest on skin to skin contact which provides all the basic requirements for newborn survival.

It aims to help premature and low-birth-weight newborns, allowing a higher chance of survival for the infant through the use of skin-to-skin contact and increased interaction with the mother and father.

Alagadan said the hospital's overall neonatal mortality rate is only at .38% out of the 5,193 live births from January to September this year, compared to the .69 % newborn mortality rate in 2017.

Officials of the hospital and Kagay-anons of the Northern California, United States of America opened room intended for the parents and their children undergoing the Kangaroo care.

"One of the advantages of Kangaroo mother care is increased rate and duration of breastfeeding, and you have a chance of early discharge from the hospital. The method also increases confidence and bonding for the parents handling the baby and overall, its cost is free once you are admitted here," she said.

Dr. Ramon Nery, JRBGH chief of hospital said the initiative might seem like a simple one, but pointed out that this could affect real change to the development of the infant.

"This seems to be a simple project but it will really make a difference for the lives that will be touched. Parents will be assured that their premature infants will grow up without complications, it is a life-changing project," he said.