Assam To Use Portable Device 'SAANS' To Reduce Death Of Infants Due To Respiratory Disease Syndrome

Post the success of a pilot project to reduce neonatal mortality with SAANS, the Assam government has decided that they will use air pressure machines across hospitals, stated officials on Thursday.

Assam Govt to use SAANS to reduce neonatal deaths

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Post the success of a pilot project to reduce neonatal mortality with SAANS (special equipment), the Assam government on Thursday has decided that they will use the air pressure machines across hospitals, PTI quoting officials reported. The machine has been developed by a Bangalore-based start-up.

What Is SAANS And Its History

The system SAANS is a portable neonatal Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) which in simpler words means a system that will provide lifesaving breathing support to newborn babies/infants in hospitals. However, the functionality is not just limited to hospitals rather it can also be used while travelling.

As per PTI's report, the start-up, InnAccel Technologies' senior official claimed that the machine has been used with some babies at Gauhati Medical College on a trial basis as a pilot project and it demonstrated results that were excellent.

The official while talking to PTI said that "Following this, more than 50 SAANS devices have been deployed across medical colleges in Assam to date with more deployments underway to district hospitals."

InnAccel Technologies has joined hands with SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Finance Facility to strengthen respiratory support for infants and for the pediatric population in Assam. This will further help in the development of the machine.

The maker of this life-saving device said "Through this partnership, InnAccel Technologies will receive access to affordable finance and technical assistance to expand the production and distribution of SAANS."

The company official stated that this partnership between InnAccel, C-CAMP (Parent organization of InnAccel) and SAMRIDH with support from the National Health Mission, Assam, and the Government of Assam will help in deploying 307 units of SAANS throughout the state.

Commenting on the development, InnAccel Technologies Co-Founder and CEO Siraj Dhanani said: "SAANS is a revolutionary product that has already saved almost 10,000 babies in India and Ethiopia. These are babies that would have otherwise been lost due to lack of breathing support at the point of care."

M S Lakshmipriya, NHM Assam Mission Director said "The deployment of this technology can prevent such deaths in remote, inaccessible districts of the state where statistics for infant mortality are particularly grim."

Respiratory Disease Syndrome is the cause of over 1.5 lakh deaths among newborns annually in India with one-third of deaths occurring during transport to hospitals with CPAP capabilities.

In Assam, there are 40 deaths per 1,000 live births, registering the third-highest infant mortality rate in India.

(With inputs from PTI)