From Survival to Revival: Urgent Need for Strengthening Early Intervention Centers in India

Dear Editor, We all know that small investments during newborn period could make the country brainier and India a cognitive capital of the world. James J. Heckman, a Nobel laureate and an expert in the economics of human development, showed that special emphasis on early childhood development has a huge return on investment. For the actual development of a society, one needs to nurture early development of cognitive and social skills in children from birth to age five. For long, we relied heavily on genes, but epigenetics has shown that it is the early environment and early intervention that shape our genes and our future. NEED AND GAPS We have a huge burden of preterm and low birth weight children, accounting for 40% of the global burden. Nearly 0.75 million neonates died in India in 2013.[1] Now, more neonates are surviving with the help of special newborn care units, so we need to invest in the quality of survival. Many of them have some form of neurodevelopmental problems like autism, cerebral palsy, delayed speech, and vision problems and require early intervention. Developmental intervention requires an interdisciplinary approach by a multidisciplinary team placed under one roof. As a Government of India advisor from 2012 to 2020, I with my team had set up Model Early Intervention Centre for high-risk neonates up to 5 years of age to prevent or minimize disability [Figure 1]. The other aim was to assist in training and operationalization of district early intervention centers (DEICs) in every district of Rajasthan through teaching, training, and hand holding. This center provides newborn screening for vision, hearing, cardiac disease, and birth defects. It also offers personalized intervention programs in speech therapy, psychotherapy, physical therapy, vision rehabilitation, dental treatment, and training.Figure 1: Model Early Intervention Centre.In India, there are many DEICs, but these centers do not have all the equipment and trained professionals required for the evaluation and intervention of pediatric population in a holistic way. There is a need to strengthen early intervention services by establishing more such centers across India. This initiative aligns with the Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s goal to improve healthcare access and outcomes.[2] Given the growing interest and the potential for scaling this model nationwide, we urge policy makers, pediatric societies, and public health authorities to prioritize the establishment and strengthening of model EICs across India through dedicated funding, guidelines, and workforce development. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.