The #EkSahiShuruat initiative will serve as a call to action for Indians to prioritise newborn screening
Trivitron Healthcare has launched its latest initiative titled #EkSahiShuruat. Trivitron Healthcare’s #EkSahiShuruat initiative is striving to create awareness at scale about the critical importance of Newborn Screening (NBS) in India.
‘Ek Sahi Shuruat’ or “A Good and Healthy Start” or “A Right Beginning” – highlights the role of newborn screening in providing the best and healthiest start to a child’s life. Trivitron Healthcare strongly believes that by supporting and advocating for newborn screening, we can make a positive impact on the overall well-being of our country’s newborns, giving them the best shot at a healthy and fulfilling future. The #EkSahiShuruat initiative will serve as a call to action for Indians to prioritise newborn screening, and in the long run, aim to establish a nationwide programme on NBS and make it a mandatory part of the national healthcare system. By doing so, India can prevent unnecessary suffering and substantially improve the overall well-being of its youngest citizens and the future of the nation.
The National Newborn Screening programme originated in the early 1960s in the US. Since then, various regions globally, such as Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and numerous Asia-Pacific countries, have embraced NBS programmes. The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided guidelines and criteria for determining which disorders should be included in NBS programmes.
In India, NBS is not a mandatory practice, and additionally, there is a considerable lack of awareness about it among both healthcare professionals and the general population. This poses a serious concern, given that India witnesses over 25 million births annually, yet fewer than 1 million babies undergo screening for life-threatening disorders. This is exactly where #EkSahiShuruat hopes to make a positive difference and impact soon.
Chandra Ganjoo, Group CEO, Trivitron Healthcare commented, “We are pleased to introduce our flagship initiative #EkSahiShuruat— an initiative dedicated to providing a good and healthy start to every child’s life. Newborn screening is a vital component of healthcare for infants. It offers the opportunity to detect and address health issues in the earliest stage, reducing the burden on families and the healthcare system at large. We believe that NBS should be a part of our national healthcare programme to ensure that every child in India has access to these life-saving tests, and therefore with #EkSahiShuruat, we are trying to create a nationwide movement to enable this. Going forward, under the aegis of #EkSahiShuruat, we will be working actively to create large-scale awareness among parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals about the importance of NBS.”
