PATNA: In a move to ensure better care and nutrition to newborns between 3 to 15 months, the ASHA workers will now go on door-to-door visits to educate and assist the mothers in taking care of their newborn babies.
The ASHA workers will take care of breastfeeding, immunization, hygiene, complementary feeding, anaemia and dietary diversity among young children during home visits with the mothers of kids.
To ensure all this, the 'Home-Based Care of Young Child' (HBYC) has been started in Bihar’s 13 inspirational districts by the health department.
Sharing this to the media on Wednesday, Health Minister Mangal Pandey said that the districts included in the HBYC are Katihar, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, Begusarai, Jamui, Aurangabad, Gaya, Sitamarhi, Banka, Khagaria and Araria.
After successful implementation of this scheme in these districts, the same program will be implemented in the remaining 25 districts of the state as well.
"Under the program, ASHA workers will visit the homes of children from 3 months to 15 months for a total of 5 times. In this regard, training is also being given to ASHA workers and ANMs in the identified districts," Pandey said.
Pandey added that the main objective of such program is to bring down the mortality rate amongst children.
"In the last year's sample registration survey, the infant mortality rate of Bihar has come down by 3 points to the national average. The infant mortality rate of Bihar was 35 in the year 2017, which came down to 32 in the year 2018," he cited the figures, adding that the neonatal mortality rate has also come down by 3 points.