Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on 12th Nov 2020 currently launches three-month campaign to focus on awareness generation and early intervention with regard to curtail childhood pneumonia deaths, enabling care givers across the country to establish vital signs at initial stages and set off prompt care-seeking with qualified and certified providers.
The foremost goals to reduce less than five pneumonia deaths, per a 1000 live births, to less than three deaths by 2025 through SAANS (Social Awareness and Action to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully).
SAANS (Social Awareness and Action to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully) campaign was launched by the Union Health Ministry to mobilize people to safeguard children from pneumonia, & train health personnel and other stakeholders to provide prioritized treatment to control the disease- one of the most lethal childhood illness.
Launched a year ago, the SAANS campaign accompaniment the national childhood pneumonia management guidelines through a three approaches to safeguard, avert and treat pneumonia among children. Save the Children, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) have also partnered with MoHFW in order to emphasize efforts to mitigate the burden of pneumonia on the country.
India has also demonstrated a higher decline in the reduction of child mortality 71% in comparison to global reduction of 59% between 1990 and 2017. Under the National Health Mission, the Under Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) has also declined at an accelerated pace between 2008 and 2018 with an annual decline of 6.5% per year, compared to 3.3% annual decline was observed between 1990 and 2007.
Pioneered, India’s U5MR is 36 per 1000 live births, which is less than the global U5MR of 39 per a 1000 live births. The National Health Policy aims to reduce it to 23 deaths by 2025 from the current levels. Seven states/union territories namely Delhi, Punjab, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh & Jammu & Kashmir have achieved the U5MR target set under the National Health Policy (23 per 1000 live births by 2025) and Sustainable Developmental Goals (25 per a 1000 live births by 2030).
Dr. Sumita Ghosh, extra commissioner & incharge at MoHFW (Child Health, Adolescent health, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram) stated,” The reduction of child mortality, more so from preventable diseases, is one of the foremost objectives under the National Health Mission. Through collaborative efforts by the Ministry & its partners under the SAANS campaign, intensifying the capacity building of front-line health workers, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) & Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) through training & skill enhancement activities.”
