Pretoria - More than 1000 neonatal nurses worldwide will be spending four days sharing a vision to prevent and reduce neonatal illnesses.
The 7th International Conference for Neonatal Nurses will be held at Durban's Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre from 24 to 27 October 2010.
The conference will be held under the theme: "Excellence against all odds - Researching solutions for global challenges", which reflects the aim of all neonatal nurses to constantly give of their best in their pursuit of excellence in patient care.
It is estimated that of the approximately 130 million infants born worldwide each year, four million of them die during the first month of life.
One of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to reduce the number of childhood deaths under the age of five years by two thirds from 95 per 1000 to 31 per 1000 by 2015. If the MDG of is to be achieved, a substantial reduction in early neonatal deaths is required.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo is expected to deliver the opening address at conference.
The conference is supported by the Neonatal Nursing Association of Southern Africa together with the Council of International Neonatal Nurses, who are the hosts of the conference.
