Jaipur: Rajasthan has launched a pilot for India’s new national child health programme, the Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK), in Alwar and Bharatpur for 2026-27.The initiative provides continuous home and community-based healthcare for children from birth to 36 months.A health department official said, “The programme builds on the Home-Based Newborn Care programme introduced in 2011 and revised in 2014, which strengthened postnatal survival through structured home visits by Accredited Social Health Activists. It also integrates the Home-Based Care for Young Child programme launched in 2018, which extended care up to 15 months with emphasis on nutrition, immunisation and child development.”A key feature of the new framework is risk-stratified and risk-differentiated care. Newborns and young children with low birth weight, prematurity, growth faltering or other vulnerabilities will be identified early through home visits and provided intensified follow-up, counselling and referral support.The programme strengthens linkages with Comprehensive Primary Health Care through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. ASHAs, anganwadi workers, auxiliary nurse midwives, community health officers and medical officers will work as a team to ensure referral, supervision and follow-up.Maternal mental health has also been added to the home-based care package. ASHAs and ANMs will be oriented to identify postnatal mental health concerns, provide empathetic counselling and refer mothers to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs for further assessment.
