Mangalore: Health and Family Welfare Director Dr Ramesh said that four new Special Neonatal Care Units (SNCU) will come up in Mangalore, Bowring Hospital in Bangalore, Koppal and Bellary districts.

Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of 17th Karnataka State Neonatology conference organised by NNF Karnataka chapter here on Saturday October 11, he said that SNCU at Regional Advanced Paediatric Care Centre (RAPCC) in Mangalore is likley to be set up  by January.

The paediatric surgery unit at RAPCC along with the SNCU will take uo the initiative, the six beds in RAPCC will be enhanced to 12 beds and additional 19 staff nurses will be deployed.

The State government has earmarked Rs 10 crore to set up Centre for Metabolic disorder at Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health in Bangalore.

Stating that congenital disorder, infection and pre mature delivery, low birth and preterm birth are responsible for increase in infant mortality rate, Dr Ramesh said that there is shortage of paediatricians in the State. The government is ready to pay honorarium of Rs one lakh to gynaecologist, paediatrician and obstetrician. If they are ready to work in high priority districts of North Karnataka, then they will get Rs 1.20 lakh per month, he added.

Minister for Health and Family Welfare U T Khader said that the government is planning to set up a wing of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology, Kidwai Institute and NIMHANS at Vamanjoor on the outskirts of Mangalore. “Though neonatal mortality rate has been reduced to 32 per cent in Karnataka, we have a long way to go. The need of the hour is to reduce the neonatal mortality rate drastically. Health indicator of a state depends on neonatal mortality and maternity mortality rates.”

The government has chalked out several programmes for the health care of new born and puerperal women. There is a need for preventive measure rather than curative measures. Studies have shown that 23 per cent of the children die within one month of the delivery in the State, the Minister said.

“We do not have facilities for high risk deliveries at Primary Health Centres. The government is planning to set up one high-risk delivery point in the jurisdiction of 10 PHCs. This will help to mitigate life risk to expecting mothers during delivery. There is a need to develop a full-fledged neonatal ward in all the government medical colleges to reduce the neonatal mortality rate,” he said.

The presidential address was delivered by NNF Karnataka Chapter President Dr B Shantharam Baliga. He said that the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health has facilities but no other government medical colleges have. The study showed that there was gross deficiency in the thermoregulatory and monitoring equipment in all institutions uncomparable to the load of neonates in the unit, thus an instigation is essential.

Manipal University Pro Vice Chancellor Dr V Surendra Shetty, NNF Karnataka Chapter Secretary Dr Archana Bilagi among others were present.