Kangaroo way of incubatory care

A recent report states that ‘Kangaroo care’, which is skin-to-skin contact with premature babies is used extensively in Colombo.

And though the technique takes its inspiration from the way marsupials like kangaroos carry their young, it has not originated from Australia.

In 1978, a shortage of incubators led to the introduction of kangaroo care in Colombo.

Mothers were told to maintain continuous skin-to-skin contact with their low birth weight babies to keep them warm.

It has proven successful in improving survival rates of premature babies and minimising the risks of nosocomial infection, severe illness, and lower respiratory tract disease.

The significance of touch in solving human misery of any kind cannot be overemphasized.