Today is our topic of discussion Child Health Care Programs in Bangladesh
Child Health Care Programs in Bangladesh
Child healthcare in Bangladesh consists of six sub-components – 1) EPI, 2) control of ARI, 3) diarrhoeal disease control, 4) IMCI 5) preventive and curative vitamin A supplementation, and 6) school health services.
Vitamin A capsule distributed through the EPI programmer and in collaboration with the Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN). The programme is headed by DGHS and implemented jointly by the DGHS and DGFP in a functionally integrated manner. So, the major child health care programmers are –
- Universal Child Immunization Program: EPI & NID (see next chapter)
- Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) – See below.
- Saving Newborn Lives (SNL) – See below.
IMCI
Definition:
The IMCI combines a range of curative and preventive interventions to address major diseases and conditions contributing to morbidity and mortality in under-5 children through facility and community-based approaches.
The facility-based IMCI addresses diseases and conditions like diarrhoea, ARI, malaria, measles, and malnutrition.
The community IMCI provides community-based services and counseling to improve family and community practices on care seeking, feeding, immunization, neonatal health, and early childhood development. The intervention is implemented through coordination and integration of existing child health programmes as feasible and/or applicable.
History & objective:
The program was introduced in Bangladesh in 2002. Before integration of health and FP services there were separate child health programs, such as CDD & ARI programs. To simplify case management in the primary health care settings by the health workers and SACMO’s, the childhood diseases as classified above are covered under IMCI program in Bangladesh.
UNICEF and WHO provide technical and financial assistance to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for implementing the IMCI program.
Strategies for IMCI:
- improvement of case management skills of health staff,
- improvements in the health system for drugs, logistics and human resources,
- improvement of family and community practices for healthy growth and development.
Saving Newborn Lives (SNL):
Bangladesh is one of the seven countries, where Saving Newborn Lives (SNL) initiative was implemented and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to address the problems of high neonatal mortality. In Bangladesh, Save the Children USA launched the programme in 2000 in collaboration with the government and three local NGOs.
Activities:
Training, ENC services, BCC activities, advocacy; regular monitoring, supportive supervision to health workers of different cadres and community groups who provide service during ante-natal, intranatal, post-natal and neonatal periods, referral of sick newborns, and neonatal care practices by women and family members including birth preparedness through BCC.
Target population:
Mothers of infants, family decision-makers including husbands, mother-in-laws, caregivers (formal and non-formal) and village leaders.
Strategies:
Door-to-door visits, village health committees, courtyard meeting, training of village doctors and use of community leaders as promoters.
See also :