Asian Research and Training Institute for Skill Transfer (ARTIST) has embarked on training doctors and paramedics of Rajasthan in safe delivery. The aim is to reduce maternal, neonatal and infant mortalities in private hospitals in the western state of India which accounts for high neo natal mortality rates.
 
According to the Bengaluru-based ARTIST, this is a first-of-its kind private initiative aimed at improving the quality of care in institutional deliveries and postnatal services across private hospitals in Rajasthan. A delegation of doctors and paramedical staff from the Merrygold Hospitals promoted by HLFPPT (Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust) in Rajasthan attended the training workshop in Bengaluru.
 
ARTIST and HLFPPT recently carried out a baseline survey of 75 private hospitals in Rajasthan and found out that the hospitals scored less than 30 per cent conformance to quality standards in various aspects of delivery and postnatal care.
 
Family planning, safe abortions, antenatal, intranatal & postnatal care and institutional deliveries by skilled health attendants are proven steps to prevent maternal deaths. Similarly, neonatal resuscitation, early initiation of breastfeeding & immunisation, timely treatment of infections among newborns, extra monitoring of low birth babies, etc, can go a long way in avoiding deaths among newborns and infants. However, merely increasing access or provision of these services is not sufficient unless due emphasis is also placed on quality enhancement of such services.
 
“This is the first major endeavor by ARTIST to impart skill transfer and hands-on training to create master trainers, who in turn, through a cascade training model, will train the teams from Merrygold chain of hospitals,” said Dr. Hema Divakar, chairperson, ARTIST.
 
After this first phase of skill transfer mobilization, reassessment for quality will be done in an objective way to record improvement in performance standards and ensuring improved quality of care,” she added.
 
The skill transfer initiative included role plays and mock drills with simulators for a first-hand experience of real-time deliveries, creating skill stations from ‘readiness to delivery’ with equipment and medicines, conducting an actual normal delivery process, managing complications.
 
“We are battling very high neo natal mortality rates. Of the nearly 28 million babies born in our country every year we lose 29 babies for every 1,000. Skill transfer programmes help staff to handle the situation efficiently For instance, resuscitation is an art and skill. It has to be performed systematically in a timely manner,” said Dr. Ranjan Kumar Pejavar, president, FAOPS (Federation of Asia Oceania Perinatal Societies); and Consultant Neonatologist & Pediatrician.
 
“We wanted to position ourselves as a service delivery agency and with the help of ARTIST, we have charted out a plan to emphasize and focus on implementation of quality service delivery to pregnant and new mothers at an affordable cost,” said Dr. Abha Jha, National Manager-Medical Services, HLFPPT.