Johnson’s Baby launches digital film on neonatal resuscitation in India

NATIONAL: Johnson’s Baby has marked 16 years of supporting neonatal resuscitation in India as its training programme for healthcare workers crossed the 2 lakh milestone. The initiative, funded by the brand and implemented by a leading paediatrician body, aims to equip nurses, midwives and paediatricians with the skills needed to save newborns struggling to breathe at birth.

India loses 1.25 lakh babies within 24 hours of delivery every year, largely to preventable conditions such as birth asphyxia. The lack of trained personnel remains a critical barrier. Correct intervention in the first minute can improve a newborn’s chance of survival by as much as 50 per cent, research shows.

Kenvue India business unit head – essential health and skin health and vp marketing Manoj Gadgil, said the need for rapid action was stark. “The survival of a newborn depends on correct interventions in the first minute. Unfortunately, these are often compromised due to insufficient training and resources,” he said. “At Johnson’s Baby, we promise to protect babies from their first moment, not just their first day.”

To raise awareness of “Project Golden Minute – Neonatal Resuscitation”, Johnson’s Baby has launched a digital film by DDB Mudra. Set in a small-town hospital, the spot depicts an asphyxiated baby who is revived after staff follow neonatal resuscitation protocols, while new mothers break into a reimagined Sohar, the traditional cradle song. The sequence underlines the emotional stakes of the first breath and the collective hope surrounding birth.

DDB Mudra’s executive creative directors, Siddhesh Khatavkar and Harshada Menon, said the film honoured both mothers and frontline workers. “Saving a newborn isn’t just a medical intervention, it is an act of love,” they said.

The Sohar has been recreated as Pahila Saans by folk icon and Padma Shri winner Malini Awasthi. The track will stream across major platforms, with revenue donated to scale the resuscitation initiative further. Awasthi said she was “deeply moved” by the project. “The first cry of a baby is a song of hope,” she said. “It is my humble effort to help ensure no parent loses a child for want of timely intervention.”

Johnson’s Baby will extend the initiative through public awareness campaigns spanning influencer partnerships and cinema advertising with PVR Cinemas.