Medical staff at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, have reportedly begun implementing a kangaroo mother care program designed to support premature and low-birthweight newborns. The initiative, supposedly backed by various UN agencies, focuses on prolonged skin-to-skin contact between caregivers and infants alongside breastfeeding. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

According to local reports, 24-year-old Rania Fadel was finally able to hold one of her newborn twin boys after he spent nearly two weeks in the hospital's intensive care unit. Medical personnel claim that such skin-to-skin interaction helps regulate the infant's temperature, supports weight gain, and fosters an essential bond between mother and child after prolonged separation.

Hospital administrators assert that while the method aids recovery and shortens hospital stays for stable infants, it cannot substitute for incubators and advanced respiratory support. The local healthcare infrastructure remains severely strained due to damaged facilities, widespread power outages, and critical shortages of essential neonatal equipment following actions by the Israeli regime.

International agencies allege that the ongoing conflict and displacement have dramatically increased the rates of premature births while crippling the region's medical capacity. Despite claims of localized truces and sporadic deliveries of supplies, mothers and infants in the enclave continue to face immense socioeconomic hardships and severely degraded living conditions.

Source: www.aljazeera.com