Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, July 21: An expert medical team, including Dr Nirupama Laroia and Dr Oliver Salmon from University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York, is conducting special training on the theme “Helping Babies Breathe in Ladakh” to medical staff attending deliveries in neonatal resuscitation.
The fifteen days training is funded by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Helping Babies Breathe in Ladakh is a neonatal resuscitation program aimed at reducing infant mortality due to asphyxia. As per the WHO data, asphyxia account for 25 percent of neonatal mortality. It accounts for 10 million deaths a year and 1/3 of which occurs in our country. The Helping Babies Breathe training is aimed at training health personnel attending deliveries, who include doctors, nurses, ANMs and even NOs in neonatal resuscitation.
Dr. Nirupama Laroia is a Professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, NY, USA. She, along with SNM hospital Dr Spalchen Gonbo received a grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics for ‘Helping Babies Breathe in Ladakh’.
Responding to a query, Dr Spalchen informed that after obtaining permission from district ethical committee, the program is being conducted at Leh since 2015. Last year, about 50 staff members were trained at SNM and a similar number at SDH Nubra as well and this year, they are planning to train even more at SNM and other Ladakhi centers. Dr. Spalchen said that this training programme was very useful for the hospital, as this a WHO-approved training programme especially constructed for recourse limited resource settings.
Dr Nirupama’s next plan is to spread this training programme to Kargil, starting with two sessions at DH Kargil with the local pediatrician Dr Anwar Hussain.
SNM Medical Superintendent Dr Wangchuk said that such training helps the SNM staff in acquiring the latest knowledge about handling the new born babies and having special NRHM Sick Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU) in the District improves the Maternal and Child Health (MCH).
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