Govt Rajindera hospital included in WHO to collect data of cause of death among infants

Taking serious concern of increasing infant mortality rate and health issues among infants, government Rajindera Medical college and hospital will now study the reasons behind deaths at neonatal and perinatal stages.


The hospital has been included amongst 10 premier medical centre across Indian by World Health Organisation to establish and generate Neonatal-Peri-natal database (NNPD) network in the selected hospitals with an objective to strengthen newborn and prenatal health care in India.

Besides it, the project would also help to come up with better policies and strategies to deal with the situation.

The other centres included in the project are Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Civil Hospital, Panchkula, 32 Sector Government Hospital in Chandigarh Rohtak medical college, Shimla medical college, Safdurjung Hospital, Wardha medical college and Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi.

In India, 44 infants died before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.

However, this was not the first time, such important task has been assigned to hospital authorities as earlier also All Indian Council of Medical Research has already entrusted Patiala medical College to generate reliable data on the magnitude and patterns of cancer in Punjab.

As per the available information, the department including gynaecology, pediatrics and pathology Department would jointly work upon generating this data and would be sent the data online to WHO authorities to compile the results of the project.

Under the project which has been issued to till August 2014, the autopsies of stillbirths and infants who die within few months of their births will be carried out by pathology experts with the consent of the parents to find out congenital abnormalities or other causes of death.

Meanwhile, under the project, the gynaecology department would file all the health details of the expected mothers, while paediatrics department would closely monitor the health of newly born infants and collect data related to their health and other body activities.


Dr Manjit Singh Bal, head of pathology department said the blue print of pertaining to how the project will be carried out in systematic manner has already been planned.

"The main aim would remain to know about exact causes which led to death among infants. Besides it, the results would help in reducing infant mortality rate, it would also help to chalk out plans for better mother care", he said.

First Published: Feb 24, 2014 00:25 IST