A comprehensive model for scaling up care for small and/or sick newborns (SSNC) was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2021. The model identified 10 core components to support country governments in their efforts to reduce neonatal mortality in alignment with global and country targets by meeting the needs of vulnerable newborns requiring specialized care. The SSNC model recognizes that many countries have achieved mortality reductions over time by scaling up efforts in primary health care facilities (community-level and Level 1 facilities) in three areas: basic preventive and promotive newborn care and services; essential newborn care; and high-quality intrapartum care (WHO-UNICEF Expert and Country Consultation on Small and/or Sick Newborn Care Group, 2023). However, critical gaps remain in the provision of quality inpatient SSNC beyond primary health care facilities in many countries.
This analysis presents a compilation of early learnings from experiences with MOMENTUM support in Indonesia, Mali, Nepal, and Nigeria, each of which has engaged with national and subnational partners in planning for and/or implementing improved SSNC. In some cases, country governments and their maternal and newborn health partners have worked to adapt, test, and adjust the global WHO-UNICEF Comprehensive Model for Scaling up Care for SSNBs in district hospitals based on their local contexts; in others, the work to develop a country-specific model of care began prior to the release of the global guidance. The purpose of this report is to present common approaches used in the early stages of implementation of the 10 core components in this diverse set of MOMENTUM countries, along with emerging challenges and learnings.
