Leh, May 13 : SNM Hospital Leh observed National Resuscitation Programme (NRP) Day with a specialised neonatal resuscitation training session aimed at strengthening emergency newborn care and improving survival outcomes for infants requiring immediate medical intervention at birth.
The programme was organised as part of a nationwide initiative led by the National Neonatology Forum (NNF) India, which conducted large-scale hands-on skill training sessions across the country on May 10 to enhance the capacity of healthcare workers in neonatal resuscitation practices.
Officials said the initiative was designed to ensure that every newborn receives timely and effective resuscitation support during the critical moments immediately after birth, a period considered vital in preventing avoidable neonatal deaths.
Medical experts noted that newborn mortality continues to remain a major public health concern in India, with a considerable number of deaths linked to the inability of newborns to establish breathing at birth.
They emphasised that timely intervention by trained healthcare professionals using evidence-based neonatal resuscitation techniques can substantially improve newborn survival rates.
The training session at SNM Hospital Leh was inaugurated by Medical Superintendent Dr. Yangchen Dolma. The programme was led by Dr. Sunil Isher, Neonatologist and lead instructor deputed by NNF India, while Dr. Tsering Norphel served as instructor for the course. Dr. Spalchen Gonbo coordinated the event.
A total of 22 healthcare professionals, including gynaecologists, paediatricians, anaesthetists, DNB students, staff nurses and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs), participated in the four-hour training programme.
Participants included personnel associated with the Newborn Stabilisation Unit at Sub-District Hospital Nubra and Community Health Centre Khaltsi, besides staff from the Special Care Newborn Unit of SNM Hospital Leh.
Officials said the training was conducted free of cost as part of the broader national outreach programme involving both government and private healthcare sectors to strengthen uniform standards of newborn care.
According to NNF India, nearly 1,100 training courses involving around 23,000 healthcare providers were conducted simultaneously across the country under the initiative, which is expected to become one of the largest synchronised neonatal resuscitation training efforts undertaken in India.
The programme in Leh forms part of ongoing efforts to improve neonatal healthcare preparedness in remote and high-altitude regions, where timely medical intervention and trained healthcare personnel remain crucial to reducing infant mortality rates.
