Pilot project to tackle pneumonia launched in UP and Raj: child rights body

A two-year pilot project has been launched to bring high-quality pneumonia care to approximately 90,000 children below the age of five years in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, two of the five states worst-affected by the lung infection, child rights body Save the Children said. Titled 'Project Vishwas', the program has been launched across 45 urban wards in Rajasthan and two rural blocks in Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with Philips India and Philips Foundation.

Supporting the implementation of the newly announced National Pneumonia Guidelines, this is also in tune with India's goal of Integrated Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (IAPPD), a statement issued by the program founders said. The pneumonia care will be ensured through M-health or mobile application-based technology for increased community awareness of pneumonia and improved care-seeking behavior.

"A point care diagnostic tool for early diagnosis of childhood pneumonia (respiratory rate counting based) can be used by frontline health workers for improved case detection, management and reporting at community and hospitals, for agility," it said. Under the project, capacity building of frontline health workers, ASHAs and ANMs through training and skill enhancement initiatives will also be undertaken.

The project also aims to enhance government commitments and resources through evidence-based advocacy for tackling pneumonia, the statement added.