‘Training in neonatal care can reduce deaths’

In India, out of 21 million deliveries per year, one million neonatal deaths occur due to asphyxia, infections and pre-maturity, and another one million suffer from cerebral palsy that occurs due to asphyxia.

But, 90 per cent of these deaths can be significantly reduced by providing timely newborn care and resuscitation by training the health care providers especially those involved in newborn care.

This can be done through the “BNCRP” or the Basic Neonatal care and Resuscitation Program regularly. Even the remaining 10 per cent deaths can be prevented by ‘Neonatal Ventilation’, said ESIC Medical College Dean M. Srinivas at a workshop here on Monday.

The programme was conducted in association with the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) had participants from all ESIC Medical Colleges across the country and other institutes.

It focused on the ‘First golden minute project’ which is necessary to save lives of newborns immediately after birth. Preventing infections, thermal protection, breast feeding practices for normal and low birth weight babies, Kangaroo mother care for premature and low birth weight babies - which help in reducing morbidity and mortality of newborn babies was discussed.

Workshop was conducted by the ESIC college faculty - Mettu Pradeep Reddy, Sachitra, Surendranath, Ajay Kumar, Shravanthi (Maxcure Hospital), Ajay Kumar, Uday Kanth (Malla Reddy Medical College) and Suresh Babu (Niloufer Hospital), a press release said.

Ventilation Workshop

‘Ventilation Workshop’ is also being conducted by the IAP in association with the Fernandez Hospital, from July 25 to 27 at the ESIC Medical College with the facilitators being Deepak Chawla (PGI Chandigarh), Jeeva Shanker (AIIMS), Mangal Bharthi (Chennai Institute of Child Health), Sreeram (Neo-BBC Hospital), Tejo pratap Oleti and Srinivas Murki (Fernandez Hospital) and Amlan Panigrahi (Rainbow Hospital). It is for paediatricians and anaesthetists to train on ventilator techniques, humidifiers, compressor and oxygenation apparatus, X-rays and acid base blood gas analysis, case based studies and live cases.

Paediatricians, anaesthetists need to train staff on ventilator techniques, humidifiers, apparatus