It was the girls who outnumbered the boys when a tally of births was done by lunchtime at public health facilities in Gauteng on the first day of 2019.

The provincial department of health registered 106 births – with the gender split being 37 boys and 69 girls.

Speaking at Mamelodi Hospital in Tshwane‚ MEC for health Dr Gwen Ramokgopa encouraged new mothers to focus on giving their babies the best in life‚ the department said in a statement.

“The birth of a new baby is a special moment in most families‚ take care of your kids and make sure that they receive all the necessary health care they need and remember that the first 1‚000 days of a baby’s life are crucial‚ and the baby should be handled with utmost care‚” said Ramokgopa.

Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital recorded the highest number of babies with 22 deliveries followed by Kalafong hospital with 13.

Home affairs minister Dr Siyabonga Cwele‚ who also visited new mothers at Mamelodi hospital‚ said the partnership with provincial and local governments was crucial in ensuring that all new born babies were registered within 30 days.

“Mothers look very happy and their babies are healthy and strong. Our aim as government is to ensure that babies are registered and issued with birth certificates shortly after birth for collection of vital statistics which are important for planning and service delivery‚” said Cwele.

Source: TMG Digital.