ISLAMABAD-Dr. Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital (ANTH) developed first of its kind collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) by organizing a three-day training on National Guidelines for Small and Sick Newborns in the hospital at 17 Meel, Main Murree Road, Bhara Kahu, Islamabad, in close collaboration with the Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) and Neonatal Group. This unprecedented collaborative effort also had involvement of Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Government of Pakistan; World Health Organization (WHO); and representatives from all provincial governments of Pakistan. 
 The training had a launch ceremony on the first day and it was attended by various esteemed dignitaries. CEO ANTH Yasir Khan Niazi, Director ANTH Col. (R) Dr. Ghulam Mujtaba Abbasi, Principal Islamabad Medical & Dental College (IMDC) Prof. Dr. Syed Irfan Ahmed, and Head of Department Pediatrics at ANTH Prof. Dr. Rubina Zulfiqar extended warm reception to the Chief Guest, Former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, and other notables including Deputy Representative UNICEF Dr. Inoussa Kabore, District Health Officer Islamabad Dr. Zaeem Zia, Health Specialist at UNICEF Dr. Samia Rizwan, Islamabad Regulatory Health Authority (IHRA) CEO Dr. Quaid Saeed, and World Health Organization’s Dr. Qudsia Uzma.
The objective of this training was to engage the private sector and promote public-private partnership for sharing knowledge to save newborns. More than 50 participants from ANTH and various other private and public hospitals attended training led by Prof. Dr Irfan Waheed. Dr. Zafar Mirza highlighted that it is alarming that the number of newborn deaths in Pakistan is 42 per 1000 live births. In the face of such distressing numbers, initiatives like this training create hope that relevant stakeholders are on the right track to meet national commitments to reduce these numbers. 
Yasir Khan Niazi said while addressing the ceremony that it was a source of great esteem for ANTH to organize the first-of-its-kind engagement with UNICEF in healthcare. He further said that, “I feel like it is an honor for us to be able to produce the doctors of the future who are willing, ready, and equipped with the knowledge and the technical skills to counter this challenge of high neonatal death rate in Pakistan.” 
Dr. Inoussa Kabore said that it is important that we bring key stakeholders together to impart standardized training to pediatricians in order to attain quality care and improved outcomes for newborn health in Pakistan.
  “Most of the initiatives are directed towards the public sector and we leave the private sector on its own. But we cannot ignore the role of the private sector in our healthcare system. Hopefully, with this joint effort, we will see a positive result in overall statistics in neonatal survival in the country,” WHO representative commented. 
Imran Ali Ghouri, Head of ANTH Communications told media, “It was a privilege for us to be part of this first ever private collaboration of UNICEF for a useful healthcare training. This is a transformative step in elevating neonatal care and strengthening the expertise of the hospital’s pediatricians. The hospital will continue to pioneer more such initiatives in collaboration with UNICEF, WHO, Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders.” 
HOD Pediatrics Department ANTH, Professor Dr. Rubina Zulfiqar and Dr. Samia thanked all the dignitaries, facilitators, trainers, and the ANTH management for their dedication to making this training productive and engaging. Dr. Rubina reasserted that the hospital’s goal is to provide newborns with specialized and compassionate care.