New Delhi, Dec 3 (NationPress) The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is engaged in numerous initiatives aimed at decreasing the neonatal mortality rate and preventing stillbirths in India, as reported by the Centre on Tuesday.
In a written response in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, mentioned that the ICMR has recognized neonatal mortality as a national health research priority and has initiated several significant research projects focused on the health of newborns and children.
Through its ‘Sankalp’ programme, the ICMR aims to strengthen, implement, and monitor the objective of achieving a single-digit neonatal mortality rate.
The organization has also initiated research efforts to mitigate stillbirths.
“It is also developing a project to build evidence and create solutions to prevent stillbirths in the country,” Jadhav stated.
Additionally, important studies have been conducted on pediatric kidney diseases and the use of intravenous antibiotics in treating uncomplicated neonatal bacterial sepsis.
“The ICMR has also launched a project aimed at designing, implementing, and optimizing a model to deliver comprehensive care during the first 1,000 days of life,” Jadhav noted.
Moreover, the MoS highlighted that the ICMR’s National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH) is conducting a multicentric study on the newborn sickle screening programme.
This initiative will be rolled out across seven sites in six states — Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat — which have a high prevalence of sickle cell disease, as stated by the MoS.
Additional research under the ICMR-NIRRCH includes a study on population-based birth defect surveillance linked with the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) programme in rural areas of Palghar district in Maharashtra, in collaboration with the state health system,” Jadhav concluded.
