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Israel a Leader in Neonatology, Says Israeli Expert

(Canadian Jewish News) Ron Csillag - Dr. Michael "Miki" Karplus headed the department of neonatology at Ben-Gurion University's Soroka Medical Center for nearly 30 years. During a recent visit in Toronto, he said that over the past few years, through two "mother and baby" units Israel established in the African nation of Ghana, it has learned how to treat troubled newborns cheaply and without expensive medical intervention that is unavailable anyway. The units in Ghana do not rely on expensive respirators, ventilators or incubators. "The high mortality in babies in the developing world...is due to infections and complications from being born small," Karplus explained. "Many of these complications could be dealt with [using] limited resources so that mortality can be reduced with simple means." Among the best known methods is "kangaroo mother care," in which the mother, through skin to skin contact, warms her baby, replacing expensive incubators. Great care is taken to allow only the mother to handle her newborn. "Infection will be minimal because no one else is handling the baby....With these very simple means, you can reduce mortality tremendously."
2014-06-06 00:00:00
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