The State Health Department has come out with a Karnataka Child Health Action Plan aimed at ending preventable newborn deaths and achieving single digit infant mortality rate (IMR) by 2020. Presently, Karnataka’s IMR is 31.
State Adviser (Child Health) K. Vimochana told The Hindu that the short-term strategies of the action plan included measures to prevent infection by effective infection control policies both in delivery rooms and newborn units of all levels.
“In the next 12 to 18 months, the plan is to introduce hospital and community audits for maternal, neonatal and child mortality. It will be made compulsory for the treating units to audit every death,” Dr. Vimochana said.
Long-term strategies include accreditation of delivery rooms, special newborn care units and neonatal intensive care units, setting up of fully functional district early intervention centres and initiating an IT-based real time data collection after mapping of mother and child health services coupled with infant, neonatal and maternal death review, she added.
