BHOPAL: The health department launched the Social Awareness and Action to Nutralise Pneumonia Successfully (‘SAANS’) campaign at Minto Hall on Friday with the aim of reducing mortality in kids due to pneumonia in Madhya Pradesh.
Health minister Dr Prabhuram Chaudhary, speaking on this occasion, said that 3 crore kids suffer from pneumonia in the country and 23 lakh of them are from Madhya Pradesh. Pneumonia contributes 15 per cent to the child mortality rate. He said, “Children die as they don’t get timely medication. So, to reduce the death rate due to pneumonia, a strategy is being chalked out under the SAANS campaign in which master trainers are being trained. Training will be imparted at the district, community health centre (CHC) level, primary health centre (PHC) level and at the village level. Around 4,000 Health and Wellness Centres have been set up in Madhya Pradesh.
He also unveiled the protocol IMPACT training modules which have been developed by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in partnership with PGIMER, Chandigarh, and UNICEF, which will be used to enhance the skills of health workers, including doctors and paramedical staff working in sick newborn care units (SNCUs) and paediatric intensive-care unit (PICUs) for consistent follow-up of kids after discharge and protocol and guidelines of the NBSUs, PICUs and CHCs.
‘Enhancing access’
"UNICEF stands committed to supporting this initiative that will go a long way to upscale skills-based labs for pre- and in-service health care workers’ training. This campaign is aimed at enhancing access to pneumonia care and treatment for children of Madhya Pradesh," said Margaret Gwada, chief, UNICEF, MP while congratulating the department of health and family welfare, Government of MP, on the launch of this unique SAANS initiative for preventing deaths of children from pneumonia.
