New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) In a significant step towards strengthening newborn and child health services in the country, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda will launch the Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK) on Monday, said an official.

The launch during the 16th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) to be held at Vigyan Bhawan will mark a major milestone in advancing the government’s commitment to ensuring comprehensive, accessible and quality healthcare for every child.

The SSBSK envisages providing a seamless continuum of home and community-based care from birth to 36 months of age, said a statement.

The SSBSK recognises the critical importance of the first three years of life for child survival, growth, nutrition and early brain development.

The SSBSK will be a unified national programme that will consolidate the two flagship community-based initiatives — Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care for Young Child (HBYC) — into a single comprehensive framework, said the statement.

By integrating these programmes, SSBSK will ensure continuity of care from birth through the first three years of life, strengthening child survival, nutrition, healthy growth and early childhood development through an integrated approach.

For the first time, the programme will introduce a risk-stratified approach for newborns and children identified as ‘At-risk’. These children will receive intensified follow-up through additional home visits based on their level of risk, said the statement.

Under the programme, ‘At-risk’ newborns will receive up to nine home visits during the first 42 days, while ‘At-risk’ children will receive up to eight home visits up to 36 months of age, it said.

The programme will strengthen continuity of care through joint home visits by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Community Health Officers (CHOs) and Anganwadi Workers (AWWs).

It will also introduce Well-Baby Sessions at every Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND) and a monthly Shishu Shivir at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs for early identification, assessment and management of ‘At-risk’ children.

The SSBSK will incorporate post-partum maternal mental health screening as a structured component of community-based care and will integrate nurturing care for Early Childhood Development (ECD) across all home visits and community contacts by promoting responsive caregiving, early learning, age-appropriate play, child safety and family engagement.

The programme will leverage digital technologies through Decision-Support Systems (DSS), child tracking applications, referral loops and alert mechanisms to strengthen monitoring and continuity of care, said the statement.

–IANS

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