Neonatal status in Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital

The objective of this study was to know the state of newborns in Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital. This was a retrospective study of newborns delivered in Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital from mid April 2008 to mid April 2009. There were 793 births with male: female ratio being 1.08:1. Almost 90 % were term babies and 6.9% preterm. Low birth weight comprised of 9.1%. Seventy five babies were admitted in neonatal unit during that period. Neonatal sepsis (33.7%), neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (30.7%), prematurity (12.0%) were major cause of admission to neonatal unit. Mortality occurred in 3 of these babies and all of them were preterm babies with gestation 29-31 weeks. Therefore it is very important to upgrade our level II care neonatal unit to level III care to improve the neonatal care.