Grappling with high infant mortality rate (IMR), Haryana Government would soon introduce the facility of kangaroo mother care (KMC) in all 21 districts of the State. The State Government has decided to open 10-bedded KMC facility in each district of Haryana in the next fiscal year.
The kangaroo mother care is a special way of caring to save premature and low-birth weight babies.
Haryana has an abysmally high infant mortality rate (IMR) which stood at 41 in 2013, exceeding the national average of 40. The neonatal mortality is one of the major contributors to the high infant mortality in the state. The IMR is defined as the number of infants’ death (mortality within one year of birth) per thousand live births.
“Haryana Health Department will open kangaroo mother care (KMC) facility in all 21 districts of the state in the coming fiscal year. Haryana Government has also approved the initiative,” said Dr Suresh Dalpath, Deputy Director (Child Health), Haryana while talking to The Pioneer.
He said that KMC method fosters health and well being of babies by promoting effective thermal control, breastfeeding, infection prevention and bonding. In KMC, the baby is continuously kept in skin-to-skin contact by the mother and breastfed exclusively to the utmost extent. This is being done to save the premature and low-birth weight babies, said he.
Dr Suresh said that a well-regulated environment, in terms of temperature, is essential for a baby’s survival, especially for infants with lower-than-normal weight. With KMC initiative, the State Government would be able to provide required care to save premature and low-birth weight babies.
“Initially, a 10-bedded KMC centre would be set up in all districts of Haryana,” he added.
The State Government has also set up 22 special newborn care units in Haryana. Through these centres, pre-natal and post-natal facilities are being provided.
According to the State Government, the neonatal mortality and early neonatal mortality rate in Haryana is 26 per thousand live births and 19 per thousand live birth respectively, two points below the national average of 28 and 21 per thousand live birth. And, a majority (nearly 65 percent) of deaths during the first year of child life is contributed by neonatal (first month) mortality.
The districts namely Mewat, Karnal, Panipat, Bhiwani and Kaithal have high IMR in Haryana.
last year, Haryana Government had launched the first round of ‘Mission Indradhanush’ in 13 districts in April and later, the second phase was rolled out in all 21 districts of the state in May, with an aim to reduce the high IMR in the state. The level of child immunization in Haryana is 72 per cent which is far behind the immunization level of the other progressive states of the country, according to the officials of Health Department.
Mission Indradhanush, depicting seven colours of the rainbow, aimed at covering all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated or are partially vaccinated against seven vaccine preventable diseases which include diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and Hepatitis B.