The National Neonatology Forum (NNF) came into existence in 1980 through the initiative of a handful of leading pediatricians working in the field of neonatology. They set forth the following objectives for NNF:

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NNF New Protocol Guidelines 2011
  • To encourage and advance the knowledge, study and practice of the science of neonatology in the country;
  • To draw out recommendations for neonatal care at different levels;
  • To establish liaison with other professionals concerned with neonatal care;
  • To assess the current status of electronic equipment being used in the country for perinatal care;
  • To promote indigenous manufacturing of the equipment; Todevelop neonatal component of the curriculum for medical as well as nursing teaching;and
  • To organize conferences, training’s, workshops etc. Topromote neonatal care in the country.

NNF prepared the first set of recommendations on neonatal care in India in 1980. In 1982, a task force on Minimum Perinatal Care (1982) with participation of NNF and the government of India envisaged that ‘level I care will be imparted through the trained TBAs and female health workers in the community’ [5]. In years that followed, several members of NNF experimented with community-based projects on newborn care; training of TBAs, health workers and nurses; small hospital newborn care models; utilization of workers of the Integrated Child Development services for newborn care; and simplifying the technology of newborn care to suit the low resource settings.