Mangalore: A recent report made by the National Neonatology Forum, Karnataka has made a disclosure that More than half of the neonatal deaths (deaths within 28 days of birth) have been reported from medical college and maternity hospitals due to lack of equipment and personnel.
The report states that there were 12,771 infant deaths (death before the first birthday) between April 2013 and March 2014 in the State. Of this figure, 8,971 were neonatal deaths. “Largely, neonates (infants less than a month old) were not getting quality care, informed Paediatrician and president of the forum Shantharam Baliga.
At the State Neonatology Conference here on Saturday, Dr. Baliga said there was no government medical college with accredited childcare facilities other than the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health in Bangalore, which had a low number of neonatal deaths. As against the number of neonates in the institutions, there was gross deficiency in thermoregulatory and monitoring equipment.
Dr. Baliga said neonatal care was the most expensive. The cost involved in saving a neonate was directly proportional to severity of illness. “If the deficiencies are corrected, then neonatal mortality and infant mortality rates can be reduced by over 30 per cent in the next two years,” he said.
After the revelation made by the report, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare U.T. Khader said the State government was setting up four centres for excellence in childcare in the State. Apart from the Regional Advanced Paediatric Care Centre (RAPCC) at the Government Wenlock Hospital here, the centres will come up in Koppal, Bellary and at the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bangalore. The centres would be developed on the lines of Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health.
Mr. Khader said the government was working to bring down infant mortality and maternal mortality rates, both of which are key health indicators. He said there was a proposal to set up units of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology, Kidwai Institute of Oncology and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in Vamanjoor in Mangalore.
Director of Health and Family Welfare H.C. Ramesh said the upgraded RAPCC and the other three centres would have special neonatal care units and paediatric surgery units. Additional nurses would be posted. These centres would provide care in cases of premature delivery, underweight babies and preterm deliveries. The State government has sanctioned Rs. 10 crore for developing these centres, he said.
