Ensuring Newborn Survival Through Intervention In the Community and Facilities

The New Born survival project is supported by GSK in Panna district, Madhya Pradesh to help reduce the grim neonatal mortality rates.

The state’s Neonatal Mortality Rate is 61 (national average is 29); the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is 85 (national average 42); Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) is 127 against the national average of 52; and Maternal Mortality is 322 against the national average of 178.

Panna district has the highest Infant Mortality Rate in the country, at 140 (as per SRS-Sample Registration Survey, Government of India 2012). The project was especially initiated to reduce New-born Mortality in Panna district among poor and marginalised communities by:

• Improving birth preparedness and new-born care in communities
• Improving quality of health services delivered by frontline workers (ASHAs and ANMs) through training and mentoring
• Strengthening delivery practices and Navjaat Sishu Suraksha Krayakram (NSSK also known as essential new-born care & resuscitation) package through mentoring of birth attendants.
• Strengthening ASHA & ANM networks for institutional delivery and Home Based New-born Care (HBNC).
• Improving access of women from marginalized communities to health facilities, and improved tracking of low birth weight, birth Asphyxia and infection.