The health department of Rajasthan Government is formulating a policy named ‘Navjaat Suraksha Yojana’ for care of neonates. The scheme aims to bring down infant mortality rate (IMR) in the state.
In the state, the infant mortality rate is 35 deaths per 1,000 live births. According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, the IMR in the state was 41 deaths per 1,000 live births. The health department is aiming to bring down IMR further by formulating a ‘Navjaat Suraksha Yojana’, Nirogi Rajasthan and initiatives like kangaroo mother care.
Promoting Kangaroo Mother Care
Aiming to improve healthcare facilities for neonates, the health department has decided to also include kangaroo mother care in ‘Nirogi Rajasthan’ initiative of the state government. The health department is promoting the technique claiming that it provides continuous skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby and exclusive breastmilk feeding to keep the baby healthy.
The State health department is promoting it as it does not require separate funds. “It is a low-cost technique which is highly practical and has potential to save millions of new-borns without any burden on healthcare cost. This technique is still under-utilised and if utilised properly, can save many lives. The department has 77 master trainers in kangaroo mother care and they will go to district and block level to train the healthcare staff,
