Charitiesansh — Neonatal Care
ansh — Neonatal Care
Charity

Ansh

Neonatal Care

Ansh reduces neonatal mortality in India by building capacity in government hospitals to deliver Kangaroo Care, including skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding support, and danger sign monitoring for at-risk newborns.

Global health and wellbeing

What problem is Ansh working on?

Of the 4.8 million children who died before their 5th birthday in 2023, 2.3 million died in the first 28 days of life, making neonatal mortality one of the largest-scale causes of suffering and death today. 81% of all newborn deaths occur in Low or Low-Middle Socio-Demographic Index countries. Around 22% of all newborn deaths in the world occur in India, and around 89% of these deaths happen to Low Birth Weight (LBW) and preterm newborns.

What does Ansh do?

Ansh works on reducing neonatal mortality by implementing Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in the government healthcare system in India. KMC means early, continuous, and prolonged skin-to-skin contact between the mother (or another caregiver) and the baby. When paired with exclusive breastfeeding and close monitoring of the baby, KMC has proven to be highly effective in reducing mortality and morbidity outcomes. The Cochrane Review (2016) analysed 12 Randomized Controlled Trials and found that KMC was associated with a statistically significant reduction of 33% in the risk of mortality compared to conventional care of incubators. The solution is primarily offered to low-birth-weight (less than 2500g) and premature newborns (born before the gestation age of 37 weeks). These newborns are at high risk of dying, and constitute over 80% of all newborn deaths worldwide.

Ansh implements KMC programs in government district hospitals located in high-mortality areas of India, currently operating in 12 district hospitals across Rajasthan. To establish a program, Ansh first secures permissions to work in a suitable facility. Once approved, a dedicated team—comprising a program coordinator, M&E coordinator, and trained nurses—is deployed. Nurses receive specialised training in KMC techniques. Existing maternity areas, such as Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Postnatal Care wards, are equipped with KMC chairs, weighing scales, and KMC wraps (no separate ward is created). KMC is initiated immediately after delivery for eligible low-birth-weight or preterm babies. Staff provide breastfeeding support, check vital signs every four hours, and counsel mothers on more than 20 danger and distress signs. Hospitals are encouraged to delay discharge for unstable or very low-weight babies. After discharge, Ansh conducts four phone follow-ups until one month of age.

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