Abstract
This is an observational study of the newborn care at Jimma University Specialized Hospital (JUSH) in Ethiopia, with emphasis on thermal protection. The thesis is a part of the Women And Newborn cohorT (WANT), an observational study conducted by personnel from the University of Oslo winter 2014. By clarifying conditions at JUSH, we preposition for future interventions aiming at increasing quality of health services. This thesis discusses in particular the handling of the newborn child. This theme is of current interest as we are approaching the end of 2015, the target year of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) presented by the United Nations in the year 2000. The MDGs are a set of ambitious goals aiming at increasing welfare and equity for the people of the world, several of these dealing with fundamental health issues including children s health. Several guidelines and recommendations are developed, including those of the World Health Organization (WHO). I found that several of the WHO recommendations concerning newborn care are not complied with at JUSH, increasing risk of hypothermia and its associated complications. Especially recommendations concerning drying, wrapping and keeping the baby and mother together involving skin-to-skin contact were not satisfactorily met. By securing the quality of health services, including ensuring that practice is based on updated knowledge, newborn care at JUSH has a potential for improvement.