Karachi: In a landmark step to save newborn lives, the Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) has launched the country’s first Neonatal Resuscitation Programme Guidelines tailored for healthcare providers working in resource-constrained settings.
The guidelines were unveiled at the seventh Aga Khan University Paediatrics & Child Health research conference last week.
Pakistan has one of the world’s highest neonatal mortality rates, with a baby born every seven seconds and over a third of them dying on the day of birth. Prematurity, birth asphyxia and infections cause 90 percent of these deaths. Experts say a uniform national policy on neonatal resuscitation could help reduce preventable deaths.
“Neonatology is an evolving field with many changes and everywhere in the country different institutes are following different strategies as per US, UK, India and Bangladesh guidelines. So our group wanted to have some sort of policy of our own national guidelines,” said Dr. Sohail Salat, Associate Professor at AKU and member of PPA, while presenting the new manual.
The guidelines emphasise low-cost, practical solutions suited to Pakistani hospitals. “For example, you can use a cheap bulb sucker if you don’t have an expensive machine or use warmed towels if you don’t have an infant warmer,” Dr. Salat explained.
Given that many healthcare facilities cannot afford or maintain advanced equipment, the manual offers simple alternatives alongside basic physiology and step-by-step instructions in clear language and diagrams.
At the conference, Dr. Salat handed over the guidelines to senior paediatricians including Professor Sajid Maqbool of The Children’s Hospital Lahore, PPA secretary general Professor Mohsina Ibrahim and AKU’s chair of Paediatrics Professor Fyezah Jehan.
The manual is intended for paediatricians, nurses, obstetricians, gynaecologists and medical students. “We decided to approach universities so we can have a uniform policy and curricula at the undergrad level,” Dr. Salat said, adding that the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and provincial healthcare commissions would also be approached.
This publication follows the manual for sick newborns launched in 2023 and is available through Paramount Medical Books for under one thousand rupees.
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