Legal Frameworks and Neonatal Surgery: Ethical, Legal, and Medical Views from India and South Asia
Keywords:
neonatal surgery, legal frameworks, medical ethics, informed permission, paediatrics, South AsiaAbstract
An important concern in public health management is neonatal healthcare. Analysing newborn health in South Asia is the aim of this paper. This paper especially looks at the neonatal period of an infant's development, the time from birth to the first 28 days, and the need of giving each newborn the required vaccinations, treatments, and care they could demand. Apart from looking at newborn health and those diseases/problems that afflict children without appropriate care, a closer look will be taken at Southern Asia, where studies reveal almost 75 percent of the global neonatal mortality occur.
A fast-developing discipline in paediatric medicine, neonatal surgery is complex surgical interventions on newborns with congenital anomalies or life-threatening diseases. In India and the larger South Asian setting, a specialized domain is formed not only by medical developments but also by a complex interaction of ethical and legal aspects. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, this paper investigates the several aspects of neonatal surgery, including the changing legal frameworks, the ethical conundrums experienced by medical professionals and families, and the medical practices directing such operations. Particularly in sociocultural varied and economically stratified societies, it critically looks at the regulatory gaps and differences in access, consent, and decision-making. The paper emphasizes the critical need of coherent policies that balance technological potential with human rights and bioethical principles by means of analysis of statutory provisions, court interpretations, and international conventions. The study supports harmonized legal rules and ethical guidelines to guarantee justice, openness, and the best interests of the neonate in surgical decision-making all around South Asia
Downloads
References
Arif, M., & Arif, K. (1999). Low birthweight babies in the third world: Maternal nursing versus professional nursing care. Journal of Tropical Paediatrics, 45(5), 278–280.
Atukorala, S., de Silva, L. D. G., de Silva, K. N., & Samarasinghe, S. S. (1994). Evaluation of effectiveness of iron-folate supplementation and antihelminthic therapy against anemia in pregnancy – A study in the plantation sector of Sri Lanka. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 60(2), 286–292.
BAMANEH. (2008). Promoting maternal and child health. http://www.gfmer.ch/iamaneh/national_associations/pdf/BAMANEH-VITOL.pdf
Bang, A., Bang, R. A., Baitule, S., Reddy, M. H., & Deshmukh, M. D. (1999). Effect of home-based neonatal care and management of sepsis on neonatal mortality: Field trial in rural India. The Lancet, 354, 1955–1961.
Bang, A. T., Bang, R. A., & Baitule, S. B. (2005). Neonatal and infant mortality in the ten years (1993 to 2003) of the Gadchiroli field trial: Effect of home-based neonatal care. Journal of Perinatology, 25(Suppl. 1), S92–S107.
Borulkar, P., More, S., Patil, S., & Balsarkar, G. (1998). Special care for newborns at a community hospital: A 5-year experience. Tropical Doctor, 28(4), 201–203.
Bose, A., Goudar, S. S., Kumar, S. V., & Patil, K. R. (1999). Experiences of neonatal care in a secondary level hospital. Indian Pediatrics, 36(8), 802–806.
Daga, S., & Daga, A. (1989). Reduction in neonatal mortality with simple interventions. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 35(4), 191–196.
Daga, S., Daga, A., & Patil, R. (1996). Managing very low birth weight babies at home in a rural area. World Health Forum, 17(3), 289–290.
Daga, S., Daga, A. S., & Patil, R. P. (1993). Anganwadi worker’s participation in rural newborn care. Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 60(5), 627–630.
Daga, S., Daga, A. S., & Patil, R. P. (1992). Rural neonatal care: Dahanu experience. Indian Pediatrics, 29(2), 189–193.
Darmstadt, G. L., Bhutta, Z. A., Cousens, S., Adam, T., Walker, N., & de Bernis, L. (2005). Evidence-based, cost-effective interventions: How many newborn babies can we save? The Lancet, 365, 977–988.
Datta, N., Kumar, V., & Kumar, L. (1987). Application of case management to the control of acute respiratory infections in low-birth-weight infants: A feasibility study. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 65(1), 77–82.
Deorari, A., Paul, V. K., Singh, M., & Vidyasagar, D. (2000). The national movement of neonatal resuscitation in India. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 46(5), 315–317.
Dutt, D., & Srinivasa, D. K. (1997). Impact of maternal and child health strategy on child survival in a rural community of Pondicherry. Indian Pediatrics, 34(9), 785–792.
Edmond, K. M., Zandoh, C., Quigley, M. A., Amenga-Etego, S., Owusu-Agyei, S., & Kirkwood, B. R. (2006). Delayed breastfeeding initiation increases risk of neonatal mortality. Pediatrics, 117(3), 380–386.
HaRP. (2008). Challenges for global health, focus area: Infant and neonatal health. http://www.harpnet.org/focus/neonatal.html
Healthy People. (2010). Healthy People. http://www.healthypeople.gov/healthfinder/
IntraHealth International. (2008). Maternal, newborn and child health. http://www.Intrah.org/core-business-and-health-areas/maternal-neonate-child-health
Jehan, I., Harris, H., Salat, S., Zeb, A., Mobeen, N., Pasha, O., & McClure, E. (2009). Neonatal mortality, risk factors and causes: A prospective population-based cohort study in urban Pakistan. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 87(1), 130–138.
Jokhio, A. H., Winter, H. R., & Cheng, K. K. (2005). An intervention involving traditional birth attendants and perinatal and maternal mortality in Pakistan. New England Journal of Medicine, 352(20), 2091–2099.
Kapoor, S., Kapil, A., & Sharma, M. (1991). Control of tetanus neonatorum in a rural area. Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 58(3), 341–344.
Kielmann, A., Taylor, C. E., & Uberoi, I. S. (1978). The Narangwal nutrition study: A summary review. Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 31(11), 2040–2052.
Kielmann, A. A., McCord, C., & Sachs, I. B. (1978). The Narangwal experiment on interactions of nutrition and infections: Morbidity and mortality effects. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 68(Suppl.), 21–41.
Kotler, P., & Roberto, E. L. (1989). Social marketing: Strategies for changing public behaviour. The Free Press.
Kotler, P., & Zaltman, G. (1971). Social marketing: An approach to planned social change. Journal of Marketing, 35(3), 3–12.
Kotler, P., Roberto, N., & Lee, N. R. (2002). Social marketing: Improving the quality of life. Sage.
Kumar, R. (1995). Training traditional birth attendants for resuscitation of newborns. Tropical Doctor, 25(1), 25–30.
Kumar, V., Shearer, J. C., Kumar, A., & Darmstadt, G. L. (2004). Lessons from implementation of skin-to-skin care in rural India for the development of strategies for community KMC. 1st International Congress of Kangaroo Mother Care, Rio de Janeiro.
Lawn, J. E., Cousens, S., Zupan, J., & Lancet Neonatal Survival Steering Team. (2005). 4 million deaths: When? Where? Why? The Lancet Neonatal Survival, 365(9462), 9–17.
Manandhar, D. S., Osrin, D., Shrestha, B. P., Mesko, N., Morrison, J., Tumbahangphe, K. M., & Costello, A. M. (2004). Effect of a participatory intervention with women’s groups on birth outcomes in Nepal: Cluster-randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 364(9438), 970–979.
NFHS. (2007). India fact sheet. NFHS-3, IIPS. http://hetv.org/india/nfhs/index.html
Peattie, K., & Peattie, S. (2007). Social marketing: A pathway to consumption reduction? Journal of Business Research, 62(2), 260–268.
Pratinidhi, A., Shrotri, A., Shah, U., & Chavan, U. (1986). Risk approach strategy in neonatal care. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 54(1), 291–297.
Qureshi, S., Sharma, A., & Saxena, S. (1973). Effect of maternal nutrition supplementation on the birth weight of the newborn. Indian Pediatrics, 10(9), 541–544.
Rahman, S. (1982). The effect of traditional birth attendants and tetanus toxoid in reduction of neonatal mortality. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 28(4), 163–165.
Rothschild, M. L. (1979). Marketing communications in nonbusiness situations or why it’s so hard to sell brotherhood like soap. Journal of Marketing, 43(2), 11–21.
Shrestha, M., Shrestha, R. P., & Singh, S. (2007). A study of early neonatal deaths at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital. Journal of Nepal Paediatric Society, 27(2), 79–82.
Srinivasan, V., Puri, R. K., & Nath, L. M. (1995). Randomized controlled field trial of two antenatal packages in rural South India. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 102, 86–94.
UNFPA. (2006). Maternal and neonatal health in East and South-East Asia. http://www.unfpa.org/upload/lib_pub_file/613_filename_bkmaternal.pdf
UNICEF. (2008). Countdown to 2015: Maternal, newborn, and child survival. http://www.countdown2015mnch.org/documents/executivesummary_finalrev.pdf
..
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
