First Mother-Newborn Care Unit based on ‘zero-separation’ model opens at Rewa District Hospital
Senior Correspondent
NewsBits.in
REWA: Marking a major milestone for maternal and child healthcare in the Baghelkhand region, a first of its kind Mother-Newborn Care Unit (MNCU) has been established at the District Hospital, Rewa.
The unit was officially inaugurated on July 5 by the Madhya Pradesh deputy chief minister Rajendra Shukla.
The 10-bedded facility is the first of its kind in the Rewa Division. Developed in strict alignment with the Government of India’s latest guidelines for Facility-Based Newborn Care (FBNC), the unit is set to significantly strengthen high-quality maternal and neonatal services across the state.
Pioneering "Zero Separation" Healthcare
Unlike conventional Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs)—where sick or premature infants are routinely separated from their families during medical treatment—the Rewa MNCU operates on a strict principle of "Zero Separation." The model redesigns medical care by treating mothers as active partners in the healing process rather than mere visitors.
By keeping mothers and newborns together 24/7 during treatment and recovery, the unit ensures: Continuous maternal presence and immediate, prolonged kangaroo mother care (skin-to-skin contact); early, exclusive breastfeeding support and responsive care giving; robust infection prevention protocols tailored for integrated maternal-infant spaces and comprehensive, 24/7 specialized support
The facility is fully equipped to handle sick, preterm, and low-birth-weight infants, providing round-the-clock specialized neonatal interventions. Services include oxygen administration, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy, immediate feeding support, and structured step-down care to prepare families for a safe transition home.
Keeping mothers at the bedside is clinically proven to drastically improve infant bonding, warmth, recovery times, and overall developmental survival rates.
"The establishment of the MNCU at District Hospital, Rewa, reflects the state’s unwavering commitment to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes," Shukla said while inaugurating the unit.
"We are dedicated to ensuring that every single newborn in Madhya Pradesh has access to dignified, high-quality, specialized care close to home,” he added.
William Hanlon, Chief UNICEF Madhya Pradesh commended the leadership of the Government of Madhya Pradesh for prioritizing innovative newborn care.
Anil Gulati Communication Specialist, Dr Prashanth Kumar, Health Specialist and Amit Dogra, Health Officer, all from UNICEF Madhya Pradesh were present at the occasion and to support the setting up of MNCU.
The Rewa District Hospital facility will serve as the foundational blueprint for a phased expansion of identical units across other district hospitals in Madhya Pradesh, driving forward the state's aggressive goals to eliminate preventable newborn deaths, a note on the event said.
