Guantanamo.- One year after the inauguration of the first cubicle of kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact) service in the largest hospital institution in Guantanamo, it is clear that the project contributes considerably to the care of babies born early or with low birth weight and allows close contact with the mother.
This area contributed in 2024 to the birth of some 4,300 babies in a very difficult context due to the lack of necessary materials and supplies in the health sector, aggravated by the negative impact of the intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States against Cuba.
The kangaroo care method, sponsored by the World Health Organization, is very beneficial for the newborn because it contributes to the reduction of the risk of infections and apnea, a sleep disorder in which there is a partial or total blockage of the child’s breathing while sleeping.
It also allows the newborn’s temperature to be kept stable, improves weight gain and provides good comfort to the mother for her full rest, which allows her to reduce anxiety and postpartum depression.
The service also has medical care 24 hours a day, while helping to reduce overcrowding and reduce cross infections that can appear due to the interference of the flow of people.
In Cuba, this kangaroo care program was put into practice for the first time in the city of Pinar del Río, in 1994, and due to its good results it is extended to other territories such as Guantánamo because it is considered one of the achievements of Public Health in the country, with the aim of reducing the infant mortality rate.