Present status of neonatal care in India
Baldwa, M.S.
Indian Pediatrics 29(12): 1586-1588
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-6061 PMID: 1291515 Document Number: 403791
The author comments upon a recent editorial by A. Narang which presented in-depth information upon the present status of neonatal care in India. The author agrees that the neonatal mortality rate should be reduced, but also stresses the importance of rehabilitating survivors of serious neonatal illness now suffering long-term sequelae. Immaturity, birth injury, congenital anomalies, hemolytic diseases among newborns, and conditions of the placenta and the cord are major factors which contribute to the incidence of neonatal mortality. Neonates who survive these illnesses may suffer from long-term morbidity including mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and congenital heart disease. Planners and policymakers need to motivate doctors to care for critically sick neonates by providing adequate rehabilitation mechanisms at the grassroots level for handicapped neonates. Medical personnel must be assured that there will be appropriate long-term care for the surviving infant so that families and society do not have to bear the financial and psychological burdens of rearing handicapped children.