Scholars and medics design outreach programme where melatonin patches will help reduce death rates and prevent disabilities caused by birth asphyxia
Professor Graham Jenkin from Monash Institute of Medical Research and Prince Henry’s Institute (MIMR-PHI), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and Dr. Atul Malhotra, Neonatologist from Monash Children’s Hospital, Melbourne were in Lucknow to announce the global collaboration to reduce the number of deaths caused by birth asphyxia. According to WHO, Uttar Pradesh (and Uttarakhand) occupies the second-last position on the list of states, with 292 mothers on average dying during child-birth.
This training session took place at the Primary Health Centre in Lucknow and is aimed to familiarize the clinical staff with the signs of birth asphyxia. Professor Jenkin and Dr. Malhotra are working closely with other renowned medical professionals, from the Community Empowerment Lab (CEL) and King George Medical University (Lucknow) to set up a world-first clinical trial of melatonin patches for the prevention of cerebral palsy. The Ritchie Centre (research centre of the Monash University) discovered that simple and affordable melatonin patches could help prevent deaths and disabilities of two million babies worldwide each year by reducing brain damage caused by low oxygen during birth.
This was Ritchie Centre’s third visit to the city of Lucknow. The CEL Director Dr. Vishwajeet Kumar describes it as the most dangerous in the world for mothers and babies. The attendees included representatives from the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) program, Traditional Birthing Attendants, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives, Community Medicine Medical Interns and Clinicians.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the training program is being audited by Windmill Technologies, a Stanford-India Biodesign Centre. Professor Jenkin and Dr. Malhotra hope to collaborate with them in the future as they plan to rollout similar programs, both within the study area and at similar locations internationally through further training program visits as well as development of a specific training video package.
EH News Bureau