The National Health Mission, Haryana and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to prepare integrated action plan for tackling emerging problem of Retinopathy of Prematurity (RoP) among premature babies.
The MoU was signed by Mission Director NHM, Amneet P Kumar and Dean Academics PGIMER, Dr Rajesh in the presence of Principal Secretary Health Amit Jha in Panchkula.
Speaking on this occasion, Principal Secretary Health Amit Jha congratulated both organisations for having identified RoP as a potential cause of blindness among premature babies and preparing the action plan for tackling this emerging problem.
He said that Haryana has already established District Early Interventions centre in all the districts which have the mission of coordinating and working for timely referral and management of such babies at risk of RoP.
Every delivery points in the state will be sensitised to refer such children as per criteria of prematurity and low birth weight to avoid missing any case of RoP, said Jha.
He further wished a huge success to the venture in the coming future for the benefit of people at large.
With the survival efforts for babies born prematurely or with low birth weight, RoP is now an emerging eye problem which leads to blindness if timely detection and intervention is missed during the narrow period of first few days of life.
On the contrary if it is detected and intervened timely, 90 per cent of the potential blindness created out of this emerging condition can be avoided. National Health Mission Haryana and PGIMER Chandigarh jointly agreed that every premature and low birth babies should get a chance to be screened for RoP and if it is detected, timely referral and management services should be provided to avoid the consequent disability.
A team of paediatrician, SNCU Staff nurse along with the identified ophthalmologist posted in the respective districts will be nominated and their training will be scheduled in batches.
Various studies from India have reported RoP in 20-25 per cent of the screened neonates.