Eight Special Newborn Care Units will be set up in A.P., says Health Minister

Eight new Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) will be set up in government hospitals across Andhra Pradesh soon, along with 80 new beds (warmers), Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education Satya Kumar Yadav has said.

Each unit will cost around ₹60 lakh, bringing the total estimated cost for eight units to ₹4.80 crore and the monthly operational cost for each unit will be ₹8.91 lakh, amounting to approximately ₹1.07 crore for all the units.

The Health Minister said that these units would be run in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Services in four of them, proposed at Amalapuram Area Hospital, Kuppam Area Hospital, Guntakal Area Hospital and Yemmiganur Community Health Centre, will begin by the month-end.

The new units at the area hospitals at Nuzvid, Kavali, Kadiri and Srikalahasti will also be made operational soon, the Health Minister said.

At present, there are 62 Special Newborn Care Units in the State, out of which 28 are run by the government. They are functioning in teaching hospitals, district hospitals, area hospitals, and community health centres (CHCs). Out of them, 11 SNCUs have 10 warmers each, and 23 SNCUs have 5 warmers each, providing emergency neonatal care to babies in need.

The Minister said neonatal centres have already been set up in Anakapalli, Prathipadu, Hindupur and Nandyal.

The Special Newborn Care Units provide healthcare services to babies from birth until 28 days. They offer treatment for infants with low birth weight, neonatal jaundice, hypothermia, respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and sepsis, among other conditions.