State to place more focus on neonatal care

Thiruvananthapuram: The Health Department, in association with the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), has launched a programme to tackle neonatal mortality by ensuring that all health care providers, right from primary health centres, are trained in Essential Newborn Care.

According to IAPs figures, the major causes of neonatal mortality in the State are birth asphyxia (21.1 per cent), birth injuries (10.6 per cent), infection (41.8 per cent), prematurity (10.3 per cent) and other causes like congenital birth defects (16.2 per cent).