Background
Although the newborn mortality rate has decreased in Kyrgyzstan over the last few years, it is still unacceptably high. Out of all newborn deaths, 75% occur within the first seven days of life and 50% within the first 28 days. Breathing problems, birth defects and infections are some of the main causes and there is a need to strengthen emergency health care services for newborns in order to address this issue. In Bishkek city, 76.3% of the deliveries are managed by doctors and only 20.9% by nurses or midwives. Ensuring that more midwives and nurses have the skills to provide immediate care for newborns could be a way of reducing the newborn mortality rate.

About the project
This project was created to improve the neonatal (i.e. newborn) health care at the Perinatal Center of Bishkek and Jayil Territorial Hospital by providing midwives and nurses with the knowledge and skills needed to prevent newborn deaths. The project team conducted a three-day training for the midwives and nurses, where he topics included how to resuscitate newborns and prevent hypothermia (reduced body temperature) by keeping the babies dry and warm.

Results
By the end of the project, 26 midwives and 20 nurses had completed the training on neonatal care. Their theoretical knowledge and practical skills had improved, which helped the hospital provide higher quality emergency care for newborns. The project also led to the development of a national protocol on newborn resuscitation, which stated that midwives and nurses have the right to provide newborn resuscitation. The Kyrgyz State Medical Institute also developed a course on this topic, specifically for midwives, in order to continue to equip them with the skills needed to provide high-quality health services for newborn babies.

Year: 2009