The City of Cape Town (CoCT) recently increased its health-care offering to mothers and babies with the introduction of postnatal services at all their clinics.
Until now, post-natal assessment of mothers and their babies in the first six weeks after birth have only been available at the Maternal Obstetrics Units (MOUs) that are owned and operated by the Western Cape Government.
City Health’s services have been limited to family planning, basic antenatal care (BANC) and testing for HIV, TB and sexually transmitted infections.
Going forward, mothers will be able to access post-natal services such as breastfeeding and nutrition advice as well as prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) in cases where the mother is HIV-positive.
“This is a significant addition because it improves accessibility for the client, as this service would be available in the area where they reside.
“The City of Cape Town has been making an effort to ensure mothers and babies are seen as a pair who receive integrated care, starting from the time of conception and extending for as long as is required.
It is critical that once women receive a positive pregnancy test, they are immediately booked, tested for HIV, enrolled on anti-retroviral treatment (ARVs) if need be and, after delivery, they return to the original clinic for post-natal and child health services,” says Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, and for Social Services.
Smith says sending patients from one health-care facility for a service, to another for something else, and being seen by various other clinicians confuses clients and leads to gaps in care.
“The early follow-up after delivery helps staff identify mental health issues and offer support for breastfeeding,” he said.
“Offering these services together is a cost-effective way to identify and address problems that may otherwise be played out negatively in the first thousand days of the life of the child.
“The well being of the mother, including the provision of a safe family planning method to prevent unintended pregnancies is just as important.”
The integrated mom-and-baby one-stop shop strategy at City clinics includes:
- Early basic antenatal care (before 20 weeks and up to six visits)
- Postnatal care for the mother (before six days and at six weeks)
- Reproductive health education and access to a variety of family planning methods
- Coordination of mother and baby appointments for immunisations, baby services (including nutrition education) and developmental screening
- Advice on breastfeeding, referrals to other levels of care (as needed) and access to support systems available in the area
- There are two Clinics in Atlantis in Protea Park and Saxonsea.
