Neonatology

Biography

Biography: Ruchi Sogarwal

Abstract

The need for a significant reduction in neonatal mortality rate-‘NMR’ has strongly been stressed upon by the Government of India through focused initiatives at the facility level like setting up of Sick Neonatal Care Units, Newborn Stabilization Units, and Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres and at the household level by Kangaroo care, etc. recognizing the birth defects as a major contributor to neonatal and infant mortality and disability, the Rasthtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram-‘RBSK’ (National Child Health Program) was launched in 2013 to benefit 270 million children by screening and ensuring treatment and management of 4D’s–defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases and developmental delays, including disabilities. Furthermore, the India Newborn Action Plan was launched with the goal to attain single digit NMR by 2030. The purpose of this article is to explore the pertinent gaps from policy to practice in establishment and implementation of newborn screening to improve survival outcomes in India. This paper is based on review of relevant literature from the year 2007 to 2017, including policy guidelines, scientific articles and reports. Trend analysis indicates that India has initiated newborn screening in a research mode in public health institutions and shifted to pilot and state government programs. Pilot programs like the Goa and Gujarat fell apart and could not be scaled up due to various reasons; a large panel of disorders to be screened being one of them. Though at policy level utmost priority has been given to strategies for prevention of birth defects, however, the study recommends five strategic actions to address practice gaps of screening program, standardize newborn screening implementation model, capacity building of human workforce, strengthen coordination and linkages of newborn screening within the existing mother and child health program for effective follow up, long term public health budgeting and value based procurement.