This Wednesday, June 14, marks the 9th anniversary of the implementation of the ‘Madre Kangaroo’ program at the San Jorge University Hospital.
With this strategy, the life expectancy of premature or low birth weight babies is significantly increased. It is also based on a provision of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection that orders that each department or territorial entity must have, at least, a program of this nature that meets the requirements for its operation.
Currently, the program cares for 541 patients both from the different municipalities of Risaralda and from neighboring cities, who have found fundamental support here for their growth and development.
target group
The psychologist Diana Marcela Borja, responsible for the program, indicated that it is aimed at children born before 37 weeks of gestation or weighing less than 2,500 grams.
“These are patients with high risk in their neurodevelopment due to the condition in which they were born, who are followed up due to this high risk, watching that the baby grows in adequate conditions and trying to detect any alteration in early form. its neurodevelopment in the first year of life to be able to care for it in a timely manner. What we also do is monitor the parameters of weight and height in patients who develop these alterations”, explained the professional.
The purpose of the program is for patients to achieve independent walking, which is the main milestone in neurodevelopment in the first year, which can be reached between 12 and 18 months in that range to give the patient a start.
Babies have in the program consultations with specialists in pediatrics, pediatric ophthalmology, psychology, nursing and physiotherapy, while mothers attend educational activities, orientation talks on stimulation, among other activities.
Mothers also receive group care with the aim of communicating and supporting each other and being able to express or share experiences, which helps them a lot emotionally so that they are more resilient in the process, said psychologist Diana Marcela Borja.
It must be taken into account that in Risaralda in 2022 the cases of babies with low birth weight increased, there were a total of 990 newborns who weighed less than 2,500 grams, which represented the highest figure in the last 5 years.
In order to provide comprehensive care to this type of case, one of the projects planned in the department is the construction of a maternity and child hospital, a work that does not yet have a start date or an estimated value.