Mega Drive Equips over 20,000 Healthcare Workers Across India to Save Newborn Lives

Gurugram : In a massive nationwide push to reduce preventable infant mortality, over 20,000 healthcare professionals from Ladakh to Lakshadweep were trained in crucial life-saving skills today as part of the “Nationwide NRP Training Day.”

Organized by the National Neonatology Forum (NNF) India under its Presidential Action Plan 2026, the mega-drive operated under a unifying theme: “One Day. One Nation. One Mission. Saving Newborn Lives, One Breath at a Time.”

The Critical “Golden Minute”

The initiative focused heavily on the “golden minute” the crucial first 60 seconds immediately after birth where timely medical intervention dictates a newborn’s chances of survival.

According to neonatal experts, nearly one in every ten babies born in India requires breathing assistance at birth. With approximately 2.7 crore babies born annually in the country, an estimated 27 lakh newborns require immediate resuscitation to survive.

“Every hand involved in delivery and newborn care needs to be trained. Prompt and correct resuscitation at birth significantly improves neonatal outcomes and drastically reduces preventable newborn deaths,” said Dr. Balraj Singh Yadav, who coordinated the initiative in the National Capital Region.

A Collaborative National Mission

The single-day training marathon was executed in collaboration with several apex health bodies, including the Government of India, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), the Trained Nurses’ Association of India (TNAI), the Indian Medical Association (IMA), and UNICEF.

The national initiative was spearheaded by a core medical team comprising Dr. Lalan K Bharti, Dr. Amit Upadhyay, Dr. S Nimbalkar, Dr. Vikas Goyal, and Dr. Saranya Manickaraj.

Practical Skill-Building Over Theory

Moving away from traditional lectures, the nationwide camps prioritized hands-on, practical training.

Key elements of the training module included:

• Government Alignment: Curriculum synchronized with the Government of India’s Navjaat Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (NSSK) module.
• Simulation Training: Hands-on practice using medical manikins.
• Core Skills: Intensive training in initial neonatal resuscitation steps and bag-and-mask ventilation.
• Personalized Coaching: Small-group sessions with direct, one-on-one instructor interaction.

Dr. J.P. Dadhich, a senior medical expert associated with the initiative, emphasized the pragmatic approach of the campaign.

“This course is heavily evidence-based and nationally aligned. We deliberately placed the emphasis on practical skill-building rather than just theoretical learning, ensuring that on-ground medical staff are genuinely prepared for emergencies,” Dr. Dadhich noted.

Across the country, training sessions were hosted at leading hospitals and medical institutions. In Gurugram, Krishna Medihealthcare served as the central knowledge and implementation partner, with sessions facilitated by a team of specialists including Dr. Balraj Singh Yadav, Dr. J.P. Dadhich, Dr. Gopal Agrawal, and Dr. Ankit.

By equipping thousands of healthcare workers with these critical skills in a single day, the medical community hopes to see a marked decrease in neonatal distress cases and a significant boost to India’s overall newborn survival rates.