Special Care Newborn Unit
UNICEF-SCANU-0667-0675
DR. M S Zaman, Assistant Professor (Paediatrics) explains how SCANU helps sick newborns in Cox’s Bazar district.
Mother Tumpa (22) from Sadar, Cox’s Bazar
Tumpa’s twins were admitted to SCANU at 14 days. They were suffering with infections and low birth weight (LBW). Tumpa is physically and mentally impaired with hearing problems. Initially, she did not know how to breastfeed her children but she was taught how to do so, which is an important part for her twins recovery and development.
UNICEF supported the establishment of the Special Care Newborn Unit (SCANU) in Cox’s Bazar District Hospital in 2012. Specialized newborn care can reduce newborn deaths by 30%. Over 3,300 babies were admitted to SCANU in 2018, including 245 Rohingya newborns. 86% of sick newborns admitted to SCANU survived in 2018. UNICEF is continuing its support to the National Health Programme to expand the reach of SCANU across all 64 districts in Bangladesh and continue to improve the quality of care delivered.
Name of the nurse: Fatema Begum .
Cox’s Bazar General Hospital
Photo: b.a.sujaN / UNICEF / Map