- 214 Christmas babies have been born in Gauteng so far.
- The majority were born in various regional and district hospitals in the province.
- The final figure will be released on Sunday.
Gauteng welcomed 214 babies so far on Christmas Day, the Gauteng Department of Health revealed in a statement on Saturday.
These statistics fall between midnight and 12:00 on 25 December.
Of the newborns, 45 babies were born in academic hospitals - Steve Biko Academic Hospital (six), Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital (five), Dr George Mukhari Hospital (nine), and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (25).
Twenty-seven were born in tertiary hospitals; 17 at Tembisa Hospital and 10 at Kalafong Hospital.
In addition, nine babies were born at community healthcare centres - Discoverers MOU (seven) and Ebony Park CHC (two).
Lastly, 133 were born in various regional and district hospitals in the province. Of the 133 babies, one set of twins (male and female) were born at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital.
Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi, the executive mayor of the Emfuleni Local Municipality, Sipho Radebe, and Sedibeng District Municipality MMC for Health Lola Khunou visited Sebokeng Hospital to welcome the newborns on Saturday morning.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank healthcare workers who are working throughout this period. It has been a difficult time since the global Covid-19 pandemic hit, having to cope with their own fears and anxieties and still ensuring that the people of Gauteng receive the best service when visiting health facilities.
"Thank you for always making Christmas time cheerful and filled with love to mothers and their newborns," Mokgethi said.
She also encouraged mothers to opt for breastfeeding their babies, stating it was essential and had many health benefits for newborns.
Mokgethi urged newborns' parents to register births early through home affairs offices that are available at health facilities.
The department's latest figures account for the last 12 hours, and a final statement is expected on Sunday.
We want to hear your views on the news. Subscribe to News24 to be part of the conversation in the comments section of this article.