ESSENTIAL NEWBORN CARE UNANG YAKAP CAMPAIGN (DOH)

The Department of Health embarked on Essential Newborn Care, a new program launched on December 7, 2009, to address neonatal deaths in the country. Under the umbrella of the Unang Yakap Campaign, Essential Newborn Care is an evidenced based strategic intervention aimed at improving newborn care and helping cub neonatal mortality. With this campaign, the DOH aims to cut down infant mortality in the Philippines by at least half. The campaign employs Essential Newborn Care (ENC) Protocol as a strategy to improve the health of the newborn through interventions before conception, during pregnancy, at and soon after birth, and in the postnatal period. The ENC Protocol provides an evidence-based, low cost, low technology package of interventions that will save thousands of lives. Based on health statistics, the Philippines is one of the 42 countries that account for 90% of under-five mortality worldwide. 82,000 Filipino children under five years old die every year. 37% of them are newborn. Majority of them (3/4) die within the first two days of life mostly, due to stressful events or conditions during labor, delivery and immediate postpartum period. The current practice of handling newborns, like clamping and cutting the umbilical cord and washing the baby right after birth, have been known to actually contribute to the high incidence of neonatal deaths and illnesses in the country. Thus the need for a paradigm shifts from the prevailing standard procedures into the new protocol. Health Secretary Duque explained that the ENC Protocol involves focusing on the first hours of life of the newborn with the manual guiding health workers in providing evidence-based essential newborn care. The guidelines categorize procedures into time-bound, non time-bound and unnecessary procedures: y Timebound procedures should be routinely performed first 1. Immediate and thorough drying to stimulate breathing after delivery of the baby 2. Provision of appropriate thermal care through mother and newborn skin-to skin contact maintaining a delivery room temperature of 25-28 degrees centigrade and wrapping the newborn with clean, dry cloth. 3. Properly timed clamping and cutting of the umbilical cord, (1-3 minutes or until cord pulsation stops) 4. Non-separation of the newborn and mother for early breast-feeding. Immediate latching on and initiation of breastfeeding within first hour after birth.
y Non time-bound intervention should only be done after the first full breastfeed. These are immunizations, eye care, Vitamin K administration, weighing and newborn screening. Washing must be postponed by at least 6 hours. The so-called unnecessary procedures include routine suctioning, routine separation of newborns for observations, administration of prelacteals like glucose, water formula and footprinting.