Gauteng public healthcare facilities delivered 203 New Year babies on Wednesday.
The 105 baby boys and 98 baby girls were born between midnight and noon.
This as the Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, visited the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, to welcome the newly born babies and deliver baby essential gift packages on 1 January 2025.
“Academic hospitals delivered 31 babies mostly from Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital with 20 babies, followed by Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital and Steve Biko Academic Hospital with four deliveries each.”
Meanwhile, tertiary hospitals delivered a total of 12 babies. Tembisa Hospital and Kalafong Hospital delivered six babies each.
“The department continues to urge all the mothers to ensure that the birth of their newly born babies are registered with the Department of Home Affairs offices that are in-house at health facilities across the province,” said the Gauteng Department of Health.
The department further urged mothers to prioritise immunisation and exclusive breastfeeding to promote the development of infants.
“As we celebrate the arrival of new life, it is imperative to highlight the vital role of immunization and exclusive breastfeeding in safeguarding the health of infants. All parents must prioritise immunisation to protect their children from preventable diseases.
Similarly, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months provides essential nutrients and strengthens their immune systems,” said the Gauteng MEC.
ByAdditionally, the MEC officially opened the newly expanded 12 bedded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that has been refurbished and equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to provide high quality care to newborns in need of specialised care.
The NICU project is part of the department’s infrastructure programme to ensure that all neonatal units undergo the required upgrades to address the overcrowding and reduce chances of cross infection.