Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala, which already has an excellent infant mortality rate, should now focus on improving the quality of care of newborns in hospital settings. Further reduction in infant mortality rate will not be possible unless more attention is given to neonatal care, said Ashok K. Deorari, Professor of Paediatrics and Neonatology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Dr. Deorari, who also heads the WHO collaborating Centre for Training and Research in Newborn Care at AIIMS, was here to speak at the annual convention of Neonatology Forum (NNF). He pointed out that there was an acute dearth of doctors and nurses trained in neonatal care in the country.

The two-day annual convention of the NNF, hosted by the Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), ended here on Sunday with the message that there should be a network of institutions specialising in neonatal care so as to create a database on the long-term outcome of pre-term and low-birth-weight babies.

"The focus should now be on improving the quality of neonatal care, not just for improving the survival rates of babies but also for ensuring that these newborns have a better outcome. Unfortunately, we have few follow-up studies on babies who have come through critical care," Dr. Deorari told The Hindu .

The Government should be persuaded to channel more funds into neonatal care. . With the introduction of newer technologies, it is possible to save babies born at even 26 weeks of gestation with excellent neuro developmental outcomes, Dr. Deorari said.

He said the role of nurses in improving neonatal survival rates is important. "Specialised nursing care is the key to good long-term outcome. We need to bring nurses to the fore and train them in neonatal care." The organising secretary of NNF, Naveen Jain, pointed out that while the infant mortality rates of Kerala were comparable to those of developed nations, the neonatal mortality rates were almost three times of that in the West. "Few Medical Colleges in the country have training programmes for doctors or nurses in comprehensive neonatal care. The NNF convention this year addressed nurses and primary care physicians on the need for focusing on quality care of newborns. Long-term follow-up of pre-term babies and improving neonatal transport system are two important areas," Dr. Jain said.

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