From Home Cradles

by SHOMA PATNAIK
Posted on 2008-11-20
'The well-being of an infant' we are told 'depends to a large extent on its health at birth'. So, it is great to hear that babies born in Goa, by virtue of their being a part of a well-developed medical system, are intrinsically healthy in their constitution. They succumb less to life-threatening illnesses implying a head-start to becoming robust children. November 15th- 21st is being observed as ‘New Born Week’ in Goa; a week to create awareness of the essentials for delivering and nurturing strong babies. From it, we gather some encouraging facts on Goan nativity. For instance, infant mortality viz the rate at which babes-in-arms yield to disease is low at 15 per cent compared to the national average of 58 per cent.
Further, the deadly neo-natal tetanus a major cause of fatalities is wiped out from our state. Last, mother-mortality rate, another statistic indicating the demise of a woman while delivery, is also low at 20 women per lakh compared to the all-India figure of 301 women per lakh.
Does this mean that we can get complacent on our ability in bringing into the world healthy babies? "Not at all!" is the reply from the doctors at Family Welfare (FW), Directorate of Health. The medicos point out that despite a good track record, the task lies in maintaining the momentum especially as local demographics are changing. Thus, with the local populace being inundated by a vast number of nutritionally deficient and poor migrants there are plenty who need to be educated on newborn care.
Says Dr Dipak Kabadi, CMO, FW, "Although we have made satisfactory progress in taking care of our newborns, several tasks remain." He elaborates, “We have observed that many babies in Goa weigh less than 2.5 kg at birth or what is medically termed as ‘low-birth’ babies. This is because 30 per cent of the local mothers are anemic. They therefore require regular anti-natal check-up with guidance on a nutritional diet for bringing forth healthy infants."
What about home deliveries, a red flag to infant deaths? Points out Dr Tamba, field medico at FW, "Despite, the penetration of health services there are women in the interiors of Valopi or in the slums of Chimbel, who actually avail the services of midwives." In the same breadth she adds, "Their numbers are decreasing as we have discovered that even poorly informed expectant ladies are quite open to the idea of approaching the local hospital as their time nears."
Meanwhile, emboldened by the rapid progress in newborn health, a new goal of nine per cent infant mortality has been set for the future. If achieved, it will place Goa in the ranks of developed countries in newborn care. Points out Dr Kabadi, "The death of newborn babies in Goa is mainly due to congenital defects or because of respiratory infections. Infants born in migrant worker families are more likely to be afflicted with respiratory problems due to poor sanitation in their areas."