National Neonatal Forum Karnataka Chapter and UNICEF HFO Launch SOP Booklet for Maternal and Child Healthcare

The National Neonatal Forum Karnataka chapter and UNICEF HFO together have taken the initiative to write a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) booklet for ‘Antenatal, Intrapartum, Postnatal and New born Care during COVID-19’. Medical bodies like the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), Karnataka Society Obstetrics and Gynaecology Association (KSOG) and Bangalore Society of Obstetrics & Gynaecology (BSOG) and many experts across the country and internationally have contributed to this book.

On 24th July 2020, all the above-mentioned bodies came together online and launched this E-Book. NNF Karnataka Chapter Secretary Dr Prashanth Gowda met the honourable Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa at his office, where he unveiled and signed the hard copy of the booklet. The Chief Minister congratulated the team for this effort and ensured his full support for the initiative.

This SOP Booklet is made available free of cost for all and training of all the nurses, doctors, healthcare workers based on this SOP will be initiated across the state in all SNCUs (Special New-born care Units). This E book will be uploaded on the website of NNF and all the other medical bodies who have contributed to it.

Speaking on this initiative of launching the booklet, Dr Prashanth Gowda, NNF Karnataka Chapter Secretary, Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist, Motherhood Hospital said “Since the first COVID case was detected, there have been so many new developments regarding research and information about COVID-19. The virus is still very new and there is a lot of confusion about maternal and neonatal care during this phase. There are many SOPs made available to healthcare staff by WHO and various academic and technical agencies like ICMR based on latest evidence. While making this book we have corroborated all these recent evidences to make one comprehensive ready reckoner for all doctors and staff nurses to comprehend”

Speaking on the impact of COVID 19 on maternal and neonatal care Dr Gowda said “The existing burden of maternal mortality estimates to 30000 in the country and 750 in the state of Karnataka. Similarly, approximately 9,18,000 infants die nationally and 24,000 infants die in the state due to birth

& infancy related illnesses. Due to COVID-19, it is estimated additional 37% mothers and children die according to the Lancet Article. A number of healthcare employees have also become positive and many have lost their lives. The cases in the country and Karnataka especially are rising. For the safety of mothers, babies and healthcare staff we decided to launch the SOP”

Dr Gowda further elaborated on the importance of this book for healthcare staff during this pandemic he said “The main purpose of developing this document is to ensure that all the staff working in Government SNCUs are trained on these available guidance and recent evidences at the earliest. This will help support the staff especially in triaging, depending on the needs of the patient. It also enables the doctors to refer the flowcharts & ensure patients can be referred to appropriate facilitythereby limiting the unnecessary expenditures on the already distressed additional financial cause due to COVID-19 for the state. It also gives information about vaccines that are being developed by different Pharmaceutical companies.  I would like to add that this book is only the first version, we plan to update as new evidence generates with time”

The launch of this book has been highly appreciated by the Karnataka Government. Along with the Chief Minister, the Deputy CM Dr Ashwath Narayan, Shri Sriramulu, Health Minister and Dr Sudhakar, the Medical Minister have completely supported and encouraged the NNF and other bodies. They appreciated the efforts of NNF Karnataka President Dr Kotturesha and UNICEF HFO consultant Dr Sanjeev Upadhyay for their efforts to bring all stakeholders together for this noble cause.

Bonjour India says France; To kick off cultural fest in December

France says Namaste to India — French style. In an effort to bring French culture to more than 18 cities in India, the Embassy of France in India and Culturefrance, have announced the launch of ‘Bonjour India — Festival of France in India’.

The Bangalore chapter of the celebrations was launched in Alliance Francaise, Vasanthnagar by Jerome Bonnafont, the French ambassador to India on Thursday. “The French President and the Prime Minister of India have agreed on a unique partnership between India and France on the issue of global warming and sustainable development. We support it with ‘Bonjour India’ by giving the people an experience of the young, multi-coloured, creative and dynamic France,” said the Ambassador.

The mega festival is an initiative to celebrate Indo-French relationship through a series of exhibitions, music concerts, book launches, film festivals, literary meetings and debates, food festivals, scientific exchanges and other cultural events over a period of three months from December 2009 to February 2010.

The festival is planned in a grand manner in Bangalore, which is identified as a melting pot of world cultures. The Bangalore chapter will be inaugurated officially on December 5 across the city.

The ambassador emphasized the French government’s efforts to encourage Indian students in France by reforming the visa and work system in favour of students. He also said that Bonjour India will help further the process by giving students in India a taste of France.

TRADE IN FRANCE

Throwing light on Indo-French trade possibilities, the French ambassador emphasized that France is keen on building trade relations in India. “We are one of the largest European nations to invest in the IT sector in India. The French company Capgemini that specialises in IT, management consulting, outsourcing and professional services, currently employs around 20,000 people in India,” said Bonnafont.

“France is also looking at investing in other consumer products such as tyre manufacturing by setting up Michelin’s Rs 4,000 crore production facility in Chennai that would provide employment to about 1,500 people. The other key areas that we are looking at are furniture, clothes and apparel that cater to the growing middle-class milieu, who look to have a better lifestyle at competitive pricing. However, heavy duty taxes add to the challenges of growth in these sections,” he added.

Times of India

An online challenge to Google library

The European Union has announced the launch of its Europeana digital library, an online digest of Europe's cultural heritage that aims to draw together millions of books and other items.

According to the media reports, the project would use the latest technologies to allow users anywhere access to films, paintings, photographs, sound recordings, maps, manuscripts, newspapers and documents as well as books kept in European libraries.

The source mentioned that the prototype that was launched today and would contain around two million digital items, all of them already in the public domain, as the most recent items are plagued by problems linked to copyright.

Europeana is a Thematic Network funded by the European Commission under the eContentplus programme, as part of the i2010 policy.

Originally known as the European digital library network – EDLnet – it is a partnership of 90 representatives of heritage and knowledge organizations and IT experts from throughout Europe.

By 2010, the date when Europeana is due to be fully operational, the aim is to have 10 million works available, though this is very negligible compared to the 2.5 billion books in Europe's more common libraries.

Around one percent of the books in the EU's national libraries are now available in digital form, with that figure expected to grow to four percent in 2012.

And even when they are digitalized, they still have to be put online. Google, one of the pioneers in this domain, claims to have seven million books available for its 'Google Book Search' project, which had gone online in 2004.