A State-wide campaign on care of newborn babies will be launched in Jharkhand, with UNICEF support, from 15 November, the statehood day of Jharkhand.
Revealing this information on Tuesday, Manish Ranjan, MD NRHM on said that the main objective of the campaign is to reduce neonatal deaths in the state. About 54 percent of the infant deaths (death rate of children below one year) happen in the first 28 days of life of the baby. The campaign will cover 16 districts with high mortality rate of newborn babies.
During the campaign, Sahiyas will visit homes which have newborns. They will counsel mothers on breast feeding and on keeping babies warm. Sahiyas will also refer sick babies to hospital, using the free Mamta Vahan services. About 37,000 Sahiyas in the State have been trained on home based newborn care and they will visit one lakh newborns during the campaign.
Also, he said that two Special Care Newborn Units (SCNU) have been set up (in RIMS and Ghatshila) in the State with UNICEF support to take care of very low birth weight babies and pre-term babies. Five more SCNUs are being established and 17 more are proposed to be set up. In addition, 203 New
Born Care corners (NBCCs) have been set up in labour rooms of district hospitals, CHCs and Health Sub centres and 132 more are proposed to be established in the State. About 80% hospitals now have newborn care units.
NGO alliance on child rights representing over 400 NGOs and civil society organizations including CINI, NEEDS, Citizen Foundation, Srijan, SPAR will also join the campaign. These NGOs will organize village level meetings to disseminate information on neonatal care.
UNICEF states that neonatal mortality rate (death rate of infants till 28 days) in Jharkhand is 24 per one thousand live births, as per the annual health survey 2011-12. It is highest in lohardaga with 41, followed by 34 each in Sahebganj, Pakur and West Singhbhum and 32 each in Godda and Dumka.