In June and July 2025, KHPT and St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI), with support from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), conducted a series of Co-Design Workshops in Koppal, Haveri and Chitradurga, to address key challenges in maternal and newborn health.

On June 18, in Koppal, under the Sankalp project (supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) the workshop was held to share findings from a formative assessment and design strategies to achieve a single-digit Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR). District program officers, pediatricians and neonatologists participated in creating evidence-based solutions to reduce NMR.

On June 20, at the District Hospital, the Haveri workshop under the SHRiSTI initiative—“Strategies to Help in Optimal Pregnancy Outcomes and Reduce Stillbirths in India”—focused on reducing stillbirths was held. District-level program officers, obstetricians, and pediatricians from Haveri, Ranebennur, and Savanur participated in designing practical interventions based on formative research findings.

On July 17, Chitradurga, under the SPARSHA project—“First 1000 Days of Life: Implementation Research for a District Model of Care in Karnataka, India”—the workshop brought together a wide range of stakeholders including the Department of Women and Child Development (WCD), District Health & Family Welfare officials, nursing teams, RBSK team, district surgeons, and specialists from both public and private healthcare institutions. This collaborative forum focused on sharing field observations and jointly co-creating strategic and scalable interventions for improving care during the first 1000 days—from preconception to early childhood.

These collaborative workshops marked an important step in designing integrated, evidence-informed health models to ensure healthier outcomes for mothers and newborns across Karnataka.

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