Watching the baby grow is the delight of every parent, but greater surveillance and follow-up is needed for those infants who spend their early days in neonatal ICU of a hospital, experts opined here on Saturday.
"Most babies don't get the follow up they need after their discharge from hospitals and are often afflicted with different kinds of neurodevelopmental disorders," said associate professor and NICU In-charge at Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital Dr Pankaj Mohanty.
Premature babies and those who go through NICU after birth due to complications should be targeted for follow up and intervention as they require neurodevelopmental assessment at specific intervals alongside growth monitoring, Dr Mohanty said at a workshop on Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID) at the hospital. The speakers also discussed the scenario in Odisha, where the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is high compared to other States and measures required to bring it down.