Eight faculty members from Aga Khan University out of a total of 55 national and international neonatologists have contributed to the 352-page first National Guidelines for Small and Sick Newborn Care at Primary and Secondary Healthcare Facilities in Pakistan.
Ten percent of neonatal deaths globally take place in Pakistan. The guidelines will be used to train primary and secondary healthcare workers, paediatricians and neonatologists in Pakistan with the goal of lowering these mortality rates.
The
"Ten percent of neonatal deaths globally take place in Pakistan."
guidelines were the initiative of Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination, and have been supported by the Neonatology Group of Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA), UNICEF, Pakistan and WHO, Pakistan.
Prof Sabina Durrani, the director-general of the Population Program Wing at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Pakistan has said that these guidelines will be disseminated at and followed in all primary and secondary level healthcare facilities in Pakistan which will contribute to the achievement of SDG 3.2. The high rate of preterm babies and slow decline in neonatal mortality are key concerns towards achieving SDG 3.2. The major proportion of our neonatal mortality is from primary or secondary healthcare facilities.
AKU’s Dr Muhammad Sohail Salat led the effort from Sindh and his concerted follow-up with the team and his commitment to the project have resulted in these much-needed guidelines. From Aga Khan University these are the contributing authors:
Distinguished Professor Zulfiqar A. Bhutta
Associate Professor of Paediatrics Muhammad Sohail Salat
Associate Professor of Paediatrics Khalil Ahmad
Assistant Professor of Paediatrics Ali Shabbir Hussain
Assistant Professor of Paediatrics Adnan Mirza
Assistant Professor of Paediatrics Muhammad Hussain Shah
Assistant Professor of Paediatrics Vinod Kumar
Senior Instructor & Neonatologist Waqar Hussain Khawaja
The manual provides national standards and protocols to guide clinicians, administrators and teams working across maternity and neonatal services. These guidelines will standardize the development of neonatal units at secondary level hospitals and quality management of small and sick newborns in them.
The chapters include guidance on setting up a neonatal unit at a secondary level healthcare facility. The guidelines even specify dress codes, effective handwashing in Neonatal Units, hands-on techniques of Neonatal Resuscitation and Neonatal Transport.
These guidelines will be updated every two to three years. Work started in May-June 2022 and the book was published by July 2023. Over 100 trainers have been trained so far (Nov 2023) with pre- and post-workshop testing. The three-day sessions are divided into covering Neonatal resuscitation, Essential newborn care, Prevention of infections, Neonatal transport, Oxygen therapy, NIV, nHFT, nCPAP, CMV, Approach to respiratory failure. Workshops on Non-Invasive Ventilation, Kangaroo Mother Care and Neonatal Resuscitation have been held.
The guidelines have been edited by Prof. Khalid N. Haque, Visiting Professor of Neonatal Medicine, University of Child Health Sciences, The Children’s Hospital, Lahore, Former Professor and Reader in Neonatal Medicine, University of London, Consultant Neonatologist, Director of Research and Development, Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals Trust, London, UK.
Dr Muhammad Sohail Salat commented, “We are hopeful that the guidelines and effective training will serve to standardise the quality and level of new-born care in primary and secondary healthcare facilities across the country.”
