VIJAYAWADA: With an aim to reduce infant mortality and morbidity rate, the Andhra Pradesh government conducted a five-day training of trainers (ToT) programme on Facility-Based Integrated Management of Newborn and Childhood Illness (F-IMNCI). This initiative aims to further strengthen newborn care within healthcare facilities across the State.
The training programme specifically targeted paediatricians and staff nurses working in Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) and Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). The programme involved a blended learning approach, incorporating classroom sessions, module readings, and hands-on practical exercises at Vijayawada Government General Hospital (GGH).
Emphasising the State’s multi-pronged approach, National Health Mission Director and Health and Family Welfare Commissioner J Nivas outlined both facility-level and community-level interventions, to achieve a single-digit Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) for Andhra Pradesh. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the State government has prioritised mother and child health care by implementing a comprehensive range of initiatives at facility and community level, J Nivas said.
“The State is tracking anaemic and high-risk pregnancies at the community level through the family doctor programme. This ensures comprehensive antenatal care (ANC), proper birth planning, and institutional deliveries, which leads to healthier newborns”, he added. The Commissioner highlighted the State’s unwavering focus on strengthening SNCUs and NICUs. Observers from the Government of India Dr Veerendra Kumar from Delhi, Dr Amit Dwivedi from Madhya Pradesh, Child Health & Immunisation JD Dr Arjuna Rao and others were participated.