Lim welcomes 297 Xmas, 294 New Year babies

Health experts in public hospitals across the province were hard at work in maternity wards as they delivered 297 babies on Christmas Day and 294 on New Year’s Day.
This is according to information provided by the Department of Health which highlighted that 144 boys and 154 girls were successfully delivered on Christmas Day while 140 boys and 154 girls were born on New Year’s Day. It was further reported that only one teenage mother, a 16-year-old, was among the women who gave birth on Christmas Day compared to 37 teenage mothers who were attended to on the first day of the year.
Thirty-eight caesarean deliveries were recorded, it was learnt. The highlight was two girls who were born at 00:00 in Siloam Hospital and Tshilidzini Hospital on New Year’s Day and a 19-year-old woman who delivered triplets in Groblersdal Hospital.
Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba visited and handed out gifts to mothers at Malamulele Hospital on Christmas Day and continued with the good gesture on New Year’s Day in Mokopane and Voortrekker Hospitals. Footage posted on Department of Health’s social media page features Ramathuba expressing words of gratitude to public health facilities for their exceptional work during the Festive Season. She also congratulated Mokopane Hospital on their renovated maternity ward which conforms to the Mother and Child Centres of excellence standards.
Ramathuba stressed that it was vital for St Rita’s Hospital and Philadelphia Hospital management to visit Mokopane Hospital to learn a thing or two rather than waiting for her to do everything for them. When mingling with mothers at Mokopane Hospital, Ramathuba said a child must be breastfed for six months to be healthy and strong. She urged one of the mothers who gave birth to her fourth child to share her experience and knowledge with first time mothers. Ramathuba concluded by applauding a 28-year-old first time mother for not giving birth in her teenage years.

Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za