The government has asked all the local units to purchase Nyano Jhola (Warm Bag) and provide it to postpartum mothers in its bid to curb deaths related to hypothermia. Hypothermia, a condition where the body temperature drops sharply, accounts for 4 percent of the total neonatal deaths.

The Family Health Division under the Ministry of Health has earmarked more than Rs160 million to the local units, including municipalities, to purchase such bags.

Dr Punya Poudel, head of motherhood unit at the division, said they had informed all the units about specifications regarding the items that should be included in the bag.  

The government had introduced Nyano Jhola programme aimed at reducing the number of infant deaths due to cold and infection across the country.

Under the programme, the state has been providing a pair of bhoto and daura, gloves and socks, cap, napkin and wrappers for an infant and a gown for a mother for use in breastfeeding. Only babies that are born in district hospitals and community birthing centres have been provided with the goods which can be used for up to three months.

The FHD said rates of the bags might differ according to municipalities.

Dr Poudel said Nyano Jhola programme has encouraged more women for institutional delivery.

According to the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, the neonatal mortality rate is 21 deaths per 1,000 live births in the country while the under-5 mortality rate is 39 deaths per 1,000 live births meaning that 54 percent of all under-5 deaths occur in the first month of life.

However, there has been a steady decrease in the child mortality, thanks to the government interventions. Considering the trend between 1996 and 2016, the neonatal mortality rate fell from 50 to 21 deaths per 1,000 live births, infant mortality declined from 78 to 32 deaths per 1,000 live births, and under-5 mortality fell from 118 to 39 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The DHS data show that there are large variations by province in childhood mortality. For example, neonatal mortality ranges from a low of 15 deaths per 1,000

live births in Province 4 to a high of 41 in Province 7. Similarly, under-5 mortality ranges from 27 deaths per 1,000 births in Province 4 to 69 in Province 7.