Abstract:

Background: Neonatal care should be prioritized and infant mortality rate needs to get serious attention, as among deaths in children under 5 years, more than 5% occurs in first month of age, with about half of these deaths attributable to prematurity. Currently, prematurity is the leading cause of death among children under five around the world, and the leading cause of disability and ill health later in life. Special efforts and interventions are relatively easy and inexpensive in handling and minimizing the neonatal mortality rate. For example of these interventions are kangaroo Mother Care, ensuring good hygiene and cord care, supporting breastfeeding.

Methodology: A cross sectional study at Bugando medical centre in Mwanza estimating the association of Kangaroo mother care and neonatal outcomes of the neonates premature admitted in year 2019.

Results/Discussion: 147 study samples were obtained but 136 met the inclusion criteria. Approximately half of the newborn 66 (48.5%) had a good body weight gain of (≥15g/day) from the KMC intervention as referring to conventional Gold Standard of the World Health Organization and the National Guideline for Neonatal care of 2019 (which recommend normal weight gain is by ≥15g/day in neonates), with 7.35 per 1000 live births neonatal mortality rate which is still low as compared to the target of 2020 that were put forward with ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children in 2015, the study also decreased neonatal morbidity rate and 57 (42%) neonates had a short hospital stay of less than five days.

Conclusion: Interventions by clinicians and policy makers to implement KMC are required.