The Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) strategy is a comprehensive approach adopted by the Government of India to address various health challenges faced by women, newborns, children, and adolescents.
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It aims to improve the health and well-being of these population groups through a range of interventions and programs. The National Health Policy 2017 outlines key goals and programmatic components relevant to neonatal and child health under the RMNCH+A strategy.
Key Goals under RMNCH+A:
1. Reducing Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): One of the primary goals of RMNCH+A is to reduce maternal mortality by ensuring access to quality maternal health services, including antenatal care, skilled attendance at birth, and emergency obstetric care. The target is to achieve an MMR of less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
2. Reducing Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): Another important goal is to reduce infant mortality by addressing factors contributing to neonatal and infant deaths. This includes improving access to essential newborn care, promoting breastfeeding, ensuring immunization coverage, and addressing malnutrition. The target is to achieve an IMR of 28 per 1000 live births by 2019.
3. Universal Immunization: The RMNCH+A strategy emphasizes the importance of universal immunization to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases among children. It aims to achieve full immunization coverage for all children by 2020, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality associated with vaccine-preventable diseases.
4. Addressing Malnutrition: Malnutrition is a significant contributor to maternal and child mortality and morbidity in India. The RMNCH+A strategy focuses on addressing malnutrition through interventions such as promoting exclusive breastfeeding, improving access to nutritious food, micronutrient supplementation, and nutrition education.
5. Promoting Family Planning: Family planning is an integral component of RMNCH+A, aiming to enable couples to make informed choices about the number and spacing of their children. The strategy includes increasing access to a range of contraceptive methods, improving quality of family planning services, and addressing socio-cultural barriers to family planning uptake.
Programmatic Components relevant to Neonatal and Child Health under RMNCH+A:
1. Facility-Based Newborn Care: The RMNCH+A strategy emphasizes the importance of providing quality care to newborns, especially those born with complications or at risk of developing complications. This includes the establishment of special newborn care units (SNCUs) and newborn stabilization units (NBSUs) at health facilities to provide essential newborn care, including thermal care, respiratory support, and management of infections.
2. Home-Based Newborn Care: In addition to facility-based care, the RMNCH+A strategy promotes home-based newborn care to reach newborns in rural and remote areas where access to health facilities may be limited. This includes training community health workers and mothers in essential newborn care practices, such as clean cord care, early initiation of breastfeeding, and recognition of danger signs.
3. Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses (IMNCI): IMNCI is a key component of RMNCH+A aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality among newborns and children under five years of age. It involves training healthcare providers at all levels to identify and manage common childhood illnesses, such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and sepsis, using an integrated approach.
4. Early Childhood Development: The RMNCH+A strategy recognizes the importance of early childhood development in shaping health outcomes later in life. It includes interventions to promote optimal growth and development during the first 1000 days of life, including breastfeeding promotion, responsive caregiving, and early stimulation activities.
5. Child Health Screening and Early Intervention: To ensure early detection and management of health problems among children, the RMNCH+A strategy emphasizes the importance of routine health screening and early intervention services. This includes regular growth monitoring, immunization tracking, and screening for developmental delays and disabilities.
6. Adolescent Health Services: Recognizing the unique health needs of adolescents, the RMNCH+A strategy includes provisions for adolescent-friendly health services aimed at addressing issues such as reproductive health, mental health, substance abuse, and nutrition. These services are designed to promote healthy behaviors and empower adolescents to make informed decisions about their health.
In conclusion, the RMNCH+A strategy outlined in the National Health Policy 2017 sets ambitious goals and programmatic components to improve the health and well-being of women, newborns, children, and adolescents in India. By addressing key health challenges and implementing evidence-based interventions, the government aims to achieve significant reductions in maternal and child mortality and morbidity and promote the overall health and development of these population groups.