Centre releases revised Facility-Based Newborn Care guidelines

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) launched the revised Operational Guidelines on Facility-Based Newborn Care (FBNC) on November 14, 2025, during the inauguration of National Newborn Week 2025 and the SAANS Campaign 2025–26. The updated guidelines were released under the leadership of the AS & MD (NHM).

Revised after 14 years, the guidelines bring together updated evidence and field experience to further strengthen the quality of care for small and sick newborns across the country.

These initiatives reaffirm India’s commitment to improving newborn survival, enhancing family-centred care, and ensuring that every newborn receives the protection and support they need from birth.

Also read- ICMR focused on preventing Stillbirths, Neonatal Mortality: Centre

Facility-Based Newborn Care (FBNC), along with Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care for Young Child (HBYC), establishes a continuum of care to ensure that every newborn receives essential services right from the time of birth and first 48 hours at the health facility and then at home up to 15 months.

During the event, the government also released a guidance note for activities under National Newborn Week 2025, observed from November 15 to 25. This year’s theme is “Newborn Safety: Every touch, Every time, Every Baby.”

The neonatal period is the most critical phase for child survival, with the highest risk of mortality. Newborn health is influenced by multiple biological, social, economic, and cultural factors. Recognising this, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has made newborn care one of its top-priority agendas and is implementing various key interventions under the National Health Mission at both the facility and community levels to address morbidity and mortality.

In the community, ASHAs are conducting home visits under the Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) program, monitoring newborns and referring those in with danger signs. With the joint efforts and hard work from all the stakeholders, India’s Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) has reduced from 44 per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 19 per 1,000 in 2023.

National Newborn Week is celebrated every year in the country from 15 to 21 November since 2000. The aim of celebrating the week is to raise awareness about the importance of newborn care for child survival and development

The theme for this year's National Newborn Week highlights the urgent need to prioritise patient safety at every stage of newborn care, a matter of critical importance in India’s health landscape.

To support this, the Child Health Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has outlined a comprehensive set of activities aimed at raising awareness and improving newborn safety across infrastructure, medical delivery, infection prevention, diagnostics, and rational medication use, etc. These initiatives strengthen infection control practices in newborn care units at both hospital and community levels, helping to create safer environments and better health outcomes for every baby.

The list of activities planned for November 15–21, 2025, is available at the link below:

Also read- Research Gaps In Neonatology: An India-First Lens With Global Context - Dr Arti Maria