1,596 High-Risk Infants Treated At Nashik SNCU Under National Health Mission

Nashik: A total of 1,596 infants were treated at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of the District Government Hospital, Nashik, between April 1 and December 15, 2025. The initiative has been launched under the National Health Mission with the joint support of the Central Government and UNICEF, as part of the Facility-Based Newborn Care Programme, with the objective of reducing the infant mortality rate in the country.

In Nashik district, newborn care units are operational at the District Government Hospital, Nashik; Government Women’s Hospital, Malegaon; Sub-District Hospital, Kalwan; and Trimbakeshwar. High-risk newborns from rural and urban areas, as well as from other districts, are admitted to these units for treatment.

Low birth weight infants are commonly admitted to these units. Babies weighing between two and two-and-a-half kilograms are admitted to the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) unit. If complications increase, such infants are shifted to the neonatal care unit.

In addition, infants born before 37 weeks of gestation, those with difficulty in initiating breathing, infections, respiratory disorders, pneumonia, jaundice, hypothermia, feeding difficulties, hyaline membrane disease (weak lungs), and necrotising enterocolitis are admitted and treated in these units.

The SNCU has separate inborn and outborn sections. Inborn refers to babies born at the district hospital, while outborn refers to babies referred from other healthcare facilities. The unit is staffed by trained medical officers, pediatricians, and healthcare personnel.

Infants suffering from weak lungs, leading to abdominal distension, breathlessness, premature birth, low birth weight, and infections have received treatment through this unit so far.

Emphasising preventive care, District Civil Surgeon Dr Charudatta Shinde said that many such illnesses can be prevented if the mother receives proper nutrition during pregnancy. He stressed that families should take special care of pregnant women and ensure they receive a nutritious diet during this crucial period.