Development of a Neonatal Incubator for Community Health Care Centres in Ghana

A newborn baby less than 28 days is considered a neonate, according to the World Health Organization. A child has the greatest chance of dying within the first 28 days of life. This is due to the fact that a newborn's body is still developing. Neonatal have respiratory problems and can't regulate their body temperatures. In Ghana, neonatal deaths account for around half of all pediatric mortality. Most of these fatalities occur at nearby medical facilities. This is because incubators are now too expensive and challenging to access in such places. The most well-known modern methods—the heated cot and kangaroo mother care—have drawbacks but are nonetheless widely used today. With this research, a low-cost neonatal incubator will be created for Ghanaian community healthcare facilities. The incubator generates heat from LED stripes, which may be operated by a minimum voltage of 19V, rather than the heated filament found in conventional incubators. In order to keep the infant alive, this created the correct humidity and temperature conditions. For use during power outages, load shedding, or interruptions, a power bank was constructed using a simple laptop battery. Temperature and humidity levels are maintained via the incubator's central cooling system, which consists of a fan and an atomizer. Last but not least, the housing of the incubator was created utilizing widely accessible and inexpensive bamboo and acrylic. Adopting this plan will therefore aid in lowering Ghana's high infant mortality rate in rural communities.