Newborn Care Project in Orissa
At the request of the Government of Orissa and the UNICEF, the Collaborating Centre has been engaged in a statewide newborn care training and operationalization programme since 1997.
Initially 5 zonal workshops of 2-day each for doctors and nurses of district hospitals, sub-district hospitals, and primary health centres were conducted in 1997.
In 1998, two 4-day workshops were conducted for the trainers. This led to the creation of a state level faculty of 30 members. The faculty then conducted 14 district level workshop covering all the pediatricians and obstetricians at district and sub-district hospitals in the state.
The enthusiasm generated by the Orissa experiment led to a similar initiative in this adjoining state. The Government of West Bengal, National Neonatology Forum (West Bengal Chapter) and the UNICEF joined hands to launch the newborn care training and operationalization programme in West Bengal.
The initiative in West Bengal is now being steered by the National Neonatology Forum (West Bengal Chapter) and the Government of the state with the help of UNICEF. Over 50 workshops have been conducted at district, sub-district and primary health centre levels. In this state, the training has been extended to physicians, nurses, auxiliary nursing midwives and the TBAs.
Impressed by the initiatives of Orissa and West Bengal, the state government and the local UNICEF requested the Collaborating Centre to launch the newborn care training and operationalization program in that state of Madhya Pradesh & Assam .
The collaborating centre is assisting the Governement of Gujarat in strengthening the implementation of child health strategy under the Reproductive and Child Health Program (Phase-II, 2005-10). Our contribution covers technical inputs encompass scaling up of UIP, IMNCI, equity-driven monitoring and evaluation, ANM training in MNCH, urban newborn and child health and engagement with panchayati raj institutions. As a focused initiative piloting of district and sub-district nurses in newborn care has been carried out in 2 districts. We are now launching trainers training of nurse tutors of all nursing colleges in the state in newborn nursing.
This was a unique project undertaken by the National Neonatology Forum (Orissa Chapter) with the assistance of the Collaborating Centre in Orissa. In this initiative, the training of the providers in newborn care is taken literally to their doorstep. The focus of this training is neonatal resuscitation and essential newborn care using the training material developed at the Collaborating Centre. A team of trainers moves from one village to another in a motor vehicle donated by the American Association of Physicians from America (AAPI). Part support for this initiative has come from UNICEF and the Government of Orissa.
A thesis is an integral part of postgraduate training in India. To improve the skills of medical faculty, WHO CC, AIIMS has been organizing basic research methodology workshops for the young faculty members since 2008. This activity was initially supported by WHO-India office and later by ICMR. The purpose of workshop is to impart basic training and hands-on skills in conducting different kinds of research projects so that the faculty can provide better guidance to their students. The faculty of the workshop has been drawn from academic institutions like AIIMS, PGIMER, SGPGI and others. The target people are the faculty members during their 7 years of career of the institutions running MD or DNB programs. The workshops have been hugely successful. The content and method of teaching have been well appreciated. The WHO CC is in process of converting this content into electronic format including webinars for wider dissemination.
A network of institutions in India & Asia is developed for continuing education of healthcare professionals using a web based platform. The courses offered have a blend of skill learning at respective sites. One can access further information on www.ontop-in.org
Division of Neonatology at AIIMS in collaboration with other partners are organizing them for last 20 years. Dedicated team of faculty conducts participatory learning courses consisting of mini-workshops, case discussions, demonstration using A-V aids. Workshops are conducted in India and Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, Mauritius, Iran).
The Collaborating Centre established a network of 32 Medical Colleges in the country to study impact of education and training on neonatal resuscitation practices in 1997-98. Two faculty members from each of these hospitals undertook a neonatal resuscitation certification course. Each institution was provided with the required resuscitation equipment. These trained faculty members in turn conducted NRP for their doctors and nurses responsible for the care of babies at birth. Each hospital collected asphyxia related morbidity and mortality statistics prior to and after introducing neonatal resuscitation programme. This project was sponsored by Laerdal Foundation, Norway.
ROP is fast emerging as an epidemic in India. With WHO support and in collaboration with the R.P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, the Collaborating Centre has conducted multiple workshops since 1999 in different parts of the country to create awareness about this crippling entity and disseminate expertise to prevent and treat this disease. Model ROP programme as being practiced at AIIMS is shared with others.
The Government of India is deeply concerned about stagnant infant mortality rates. Since the two thirds of the infant mortality is constituted by the neonatal mortality, the newborn health has emerged as the focus of child health strategies. In order to create awareness about the importance of newborn health, the Government decided to observe a Newborn Week from 15th to 21st November 2000. The week was inaugurated by the Hon'ble Prime Minister at his residence where the Collaborative Centre faculty was represented. The Centre brought out an advocacy document 'Newborn Health : Key to Child Survival' in English and Hindi under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Neonatology Forum utilizing the WHO country funds.
Division of Neonatology is designated as CAR for newborn health for five years 2010-14. Terms of reference include conducting country specific research studies, sepsis registry in four Delhi hospitals, framing ethical guidelines for conducting research in neonates, enhancing research capabilities of national faculty and providing technical support to ICMR.
The Collaborating Centre organized a national meeting of the experts on Research Priorities in Newborn Health in January 2000 in association with the ICMR. The participants included eminent researchers and academicians in newborn care from all over the country. A research agenda on newborn health was recommended at the meeting as a blue print for ICMR to follow. We are now working very closely with ICMR to implement the recommendations.
As a follow up of the recommendations of the expert group referred to above, a multi-site study has been planned on 'Home-based Care of Newborn Infants' based on the work done by SEARCH in rural Maharashtra. The faculty of the Collaborating Centre is closely involved in implementation and monitoring of study at 5 –sites.
The ICMR has approved support to the NNPD network. A total of 16 institutions and 8 HRRCs (Human Reproduction Research Centres) will be networked to provide generic data on neonatal morbidity and mortality. The Collaborating Centre is the Nodal Centre for this initiative budgeted for 3 years 2001-04. Click here for NNPD report
