Consultant - Training on Essential Newborn Care at Save The Children

Background
Situation of the Newborns in Nigeria:

• The first 28 days of life referred to as the neonatal period is a critical period for the survival of the child. In Nigeria, approximately a quarter of the estimated one million children who die before the age of five years do so in this neonatal period.
• Indeed every day, about 700 newborn babies die, the highest number in Africa and the third highest in the world. Hitherto, care of the newborn/neonate is an aspect of child survival that has received limited attention. situation is tragic especially as most of these babies die due to mainly preventable treatable causes such as birth asphyxia, infections and prematurity. present situation informs that if we do not re strategize to arrest the trend and substantially reduce newborn mortality, Nigeria will not attain the SDG 3.2.
• Most of these young lives can be saved with existing cost effective and efficient interventions, possible even in hard to reach areas through the existing health system. However, coverage is extremely low, even much lower than in most other African countries.
• In order to support Nigeria in the achievement of the 100,000 babies initiative related to new-born in Northern Nigeria, a 2 year new-born health programme is being implemented with support from Johnson and Johnson in Igabi LGA of Kaduna state in Nigeria. The project seeks to contribute towards the reduction of neonatal morbidity and mortality in Kaduna state.

Essential New-born Care:

• An unacceptable number of babies around the world die in the first week of life with the highest number dying within the first 24 hours of birth. Many of these deaths occur to babies born too early and too small, or with infections, or to babies asphyxiated around the time of delivery.
• Studies have shown that many newborn lives can be saved by the use of simple low technological interventions. Interventions such as: supporting breastfeeding; providing adequate warmth; ensuring good hygiene and cord care; recognizing early signs of danger and providing prompt treatment and referral; giving extra care to small babies and having skilled health workers attend mothers and babies at delivery and in the immediate post-partum period - can all increase a newborn babies chances of survival.
• The Essential Newborn Care Course aims to ensure health workers have the skills and knowledge to provide appropriate care at the most vulnerable period in a baby’s life. Health workers are taught to use the ‘Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum and Newborn Care: A Guide for essential practice’ and particularly the sections concerned with newborn care which provides up-to-date evidence based information and management of babies with a range of needs in the initial newborn period.
• To reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity, the practices of health workers and others caring for new-born babies must be improved. This can be achieved by training skilled birth attendants in essential new-born care practices, and new-born resuscitation who in turn will improve the skills of those caring for babies and children less than five years in the early postpartum period and beyond.

Rationale:

• Evidence indicates that lifesaving care can significantly reduce neonatal mortality. In Nigeria, preterm births, asphyxia and infections account for 85% of all neonatal deaths. These are causes that can easily be prevented and managed at the facility if quality essential care is available and accessible to the new born.
• The need for resuscitation should always be anticipated and thus, every birth attendant should be skilled in newborn resuscitation (including anticipation, preparation, timely recognition and quick and correct action) and should have the necessary equipment and supplies - clean and functioning - to be able to respond quickly and correctly when needed.
• Report from findings from surveys and studies assessment of PHC-BEOC facilities conducted by PRRINN-MNCH in their target clusters (2009) revealed that newborn care was almost nowhere available. refore, in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 3.2, birth attendants in large numbers must acquire the basic skills and equipment to help newborns breathe.

Purpose of Assignment

• To improve care for new-born babies it is essential to improve quality of care available currently at the primary and secondary levels of care in Igabi LGA through training of medical doctors, midwives and community health extension workers on the Essential newborn care course.
• A National consultant in -country will be engaged to direct the training and ensure quality.
• S/He will be supported by five facilitators to ensure participants have adequate skills exposure.

Methodology
The consultant working with other facilitators would direct:

• A three (3) day training for 30 CHEWs on the Modified ENCC (HBB, ECEB and ECSB)
• The training would involve both lectures and skills training using adult learning methodologies.

The following activities will be undertaken:

• Lead a planning meeting with other facilitators and guidance for site preparation
• Conduct the training
• Undertake post training follow up visits
• On completion of the training, hold a debrief meeting with the LGA RH Coordinator
• Report writing

Expected output:

• Report of the MENCC Training
• Report of the post training follow up visits

Type of Consultants Required

• The required consultant should be an experienced Paediatrician (a fellow of West African Medical College/NPMCN) or with a minimum of 5 years’ post-fellowship experience.
• S/he should have undertaken a TOT in ENCC.
• S/he should be able to mobilize 4 other facilitators (Doctors/Midwives) who have a minimum of 5 years’ experience and have also undertaken a TOT in ENCC training).