Guwahati: In a significant move development that would go a long way in addressing childhood pneumonia, Dr. Sapam Ranjan Singh, the State Health and Family Welfare Minister of Manipur, recently inaugurated the SAANS Campaign 2023-24 in Imphal.
Concurrently, the minister also dedicated the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) as the State Newborn Resource Centre, emphasizing the state’s commitment to child healthcare.
SAANS means Social Awareness and Action to Neutralize Pneumonia is an annual campaign implemented in states and union territories.
The primary objective of SAANS is to accelerate action against childhood pneumonia, a leading cause of child mortality.
The SAANS mission aims to minimize child mortality caused by pneumonia, accounting for approximately 15 per cent of all fatalities in children under the age of five annually.
SAANS will initiate a public awareness campaign to educate communities about effective pneumonia prevention strategies.
This includes promoting practices such as breastfeeding, age-appropriate supplemental feeding, and vaccination.
The government aims to reduce pneumonia fatalities in children to less than three per 1,000 live births by 2025, following the Integrated Action Plan established in 2014.