Arunachal: Namsai Reviews Child Deaths, NHM Activities
The 9th DTFI-cum-4th Quarter Child Death Review meeting in Namsai reviewed premature births, vaccination gaps, AI-based health monitoring and convergence under NHM initiatives.
NAMSAI — The 9th District Task Force for Immunisation (DTFI)-cum-4th Quarter Child Death Review (CDR) meeting, along with a review of other National Health Mission activities, was held on February 10 at the Conference Hall of the District Secretariat in Namsai.
During the Child Death Review, officials discussed concerns related to premature deliveries and the associated medical and social factors. Emphasis was placed on the need for preventive measures and improved coordination at the field level to address avoidable risks and strengthen early interventions.
Under the Sampoornata Abhiyan, key performance indicators were reviewed, including the weighing of all newborns at birth, the conduct of Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSND) at all Anganwadi Centres every month, and the timely notification of tuberculosis cases. Officials stressed that VHSNDs should be conducted jointly by the Women and Child Development, Public Health Engineering and Health departments, with a single designated coordinator to ensure effective convergence.
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The meeting also reviewed the Newborn Anthropometry Solution, known as Shishu Maapan, developed by Wadhwani AI. The AI-integrated pilot project involves field-level data collection by ASHAs to analyse newborn and child health parameters, with the aim of reducing reliance on manual physical measurements. The Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) video monitoring component of the initiative was also reviewed, with officials noting that ASHAs have been trained and reoriented, and that 359 HBNC visits have been conducted so far.
A detailed review of vaccination coverage across medical facilities was undertaken. It was decided that village-level meetings, followed by Block Task Force for Immunisation (BTFI) reviews, would be conducted at the block level under the chairmanship of respective administrative officers to strengthen monitoring and implementation.
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The role of the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), working on behalf of UNICEF, was discussed with reference to addressing vaccination drop-outs through house-to-house visits. A monitoring report presented by the World Health Organization under the National Public Health Support Network was also reviewed. Officials noted that Namsai is among the 12 districts selected for implementation of the Zero Dose Immunisation Plan, with discussions held on micro-planning, efficiency, SWOT analysis and block-level findings.
The meeting further reviewed the U-WIN performance report, along with HMIS and U-WIN digital vaccination records of medical facilities. The Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) report was also discussed, covering screening status, post-screening diagnosis and measures required to improve data uploading and performance on the NITI Aayog portal.
In his concluding remarks, Deputy Commissioner C. R. Khampa, who also chairs the DTFI, emphasised the need to identify and address gaps highlighted during the discussions. He reiterated that coordination meetings for VHSND would be held as scheduled and directed that BTFI meetings must be conducted at the block level under the chairmanship of respective administrative officers to ensure effective follow-up and implementation.
