More than 100 thought leaders discuss neonatal healthcare in India.
AB Wire
WASHINGTON, DC: More than 100 leaders from academic institutions, foundations, pharmaceutical companies and non-profit organizations attended the American India Foundation’s inaugural Maternal and Neonatal Survival Initiative (MANSI) summit held in Boston on April 18.
The goal of the summit, held at the Merck Research Laboratories, was to promote awareness and best practices of maternal and neonatal health challenges in India, which accounts for roughly a fourth of all maternal deaths worldwide, according to an AIF press release.
“It was inspiring to see individuals and organizations from all sectors come together to engage in this very important discussion,” AIF CEO Ravi Kumar said. “AIF strongly believes collaboration is imperative in solving critical issues such as maternal and neonatal health.”
The thought-leaders from around the world who attended the conference shared their insights and best practices, the AIF release said.
Emphasizing the need for public-private partnerships, Sunil Bhaskaran, the vice president of Corporate Services for Tata Steel, said, “We know we need to have partnerships because these issues we are fighting are so huge. We have to combine our strength, so that we can scale up.”
Speakers also highlighted recent improvements in neonatal healthcare in India. Katherine Semrau, who heads the BetterBirth program at Ariadne Labs, said a lot of innovative healthcare work is happening in Uttar Pradesh, pointing out the improvements in the quality of facility-based deliveries in the state.
Sunita Pereira, an AIF Trustee and chair of the MANSI Advisory Council, said the summit was “just the beginning” and, “Moving forward, AIF and its partners plan to keep the discussion going in order to address India’s maternal and neonatal health challenges.”
Among other speakers were Natalie Africa of the United Nations Foundation, Gary Darmstadt of Stanford University, Charu Johri of AIF, Lily Kak of USAID and K. Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India, the AIF release said.
According to the AIF, the MANSI program “utilizes a public-private partnership model to provide the resources and support required to empower local communities to care for their mothers and children while improving the local health system.”