International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | January 2019 | Vol 7 | Issue 1 Page 241 International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Kumar R et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2019 Jan;7(1):241-246 www.msjonline.org pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012 Original Research Article Morbidity and mortality profile of neonates admitted in special newborn care unit of a teaching hospital in Uttarakhand, India Rakesh Kumar 1 , Rajlaxmi Mundhra 2 *, Anand Jain 1 , Suchitra Jain 2 INTRODUCTION Globally 2.6 million new born died in 2016 which accounted for 46% of all under 5 deaths. Five countries (India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia) accounted for half of all neonatal deaths. India accounts for 24% of global neonatal mortality. In the terms of absolute numbers this translates to 640000 deaths in the first four weeks of life. 1 Substantial decrease in the under 5 mortality has been achieved during the passing years but decline in neonatal mortality has been much slower. 2 In order to accelerate progress it is important that preventing neonatal deaths should be prioritized. 2 At the National level, the neo-natal mortality rate (NMR) is 24. The percentage of neo-natal deaths to total infant deaths is 68.8 per cent. Among the bigger States/UTs, Uttarakhand 79.1 % registered the highest percentage of neo-natal deaths to infant deaths. The current neonatal mortality in Uttarakhand is 30 which is increasing compared to 28 in 2016 and 26 in 2015, whereas all other 1 Department of Pediatrcis, 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Government Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VCSGGIMS and R), Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India Received: 10 November 2018 Accepted: 01 December 2018 *Correspondence: Dr. Rajlaxmi Mundhra, E-mail: rmundhra54@yahoo.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: India accounts for 24% of global neonatal mortality. It is important to study the mortality and morbidity pattern as it helps to implement new treatment protocols, interventions, planning and policy making which helps in better survival and improvement in the quality of life among survivors. The aim of the project study was to determine the causes of morbidity and mortality in neonates admitted in our hospital. Methods: This study was conducted at Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Government Institute of Medical Science and Research providing level II neonatal care. This is a retrospective hospital based observational study. Data from admission and discharge registers were extracted, compiled and analyzed from March 2016 to February 2018. Neonates taken against medical advice and those referred to tertiary care centers were excluded in calculation of survival outcome. Statistical analysis was done in form of percentage, proportions and chi square test was used to find statistical significance. Results: 1582 neonates were admitted during the study period. 60.80% were inborn and 39.20% were outborn. 59.54% were male and 40.46% were female. Major causes of admission were jaundice (24.72%), sepsis (20.48%), birth asphyxia (18.52%), meconium aspiration syndrome (10.11%). Birth asphyxia was the major cause of mortality, followed by sepsis and prematurity. Mortality was more in outborn babies 14.67% compared to inborn babies 9.80%. Conclusions: Neonatal jaundice, birth asphyxia and sepsis were the commonest causes of morbidity. Common causes of mortality were birth asphyxia and sepsis and prematurity. More deliveries at institutions with SNCU facility, early identification of danger signs and timely referral to tertiary care centers can prevent neonatal deaths. Keywords: Garhwal, Morbidity, Mortality, Neonate, SNCU DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20185388