Bengal govt ramping up paediatric care
The Bengal government is upgrading health infrastructure in children’s departments in its hospitals across the state to battle fever and any third wave of COVID-19 that might come.
In view of the rising number of cases of fever amongst children, the Bengal government has increased the number of beds and paediatric set-up in 77 government hospitals across the state.
A total of 3,816 paediatric beds, 2,438 special newborn care units (SNCUs), 229 paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and 164 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) (a unit implies a bed) have been added to the existing infrastructure.
The health department had earlier notified the district health administrators to increase the number of beds in different hospitals to be able to accommodate more patients in anticipation of the third wave of COVID-19, but the curve is thankfully dipping.
Many medical colleges in Kolkata have increased their paediatric health infrastructure.
- SSKM has 129 paediatric beds, 84 SNCUs, 16 NICUs, 16 PICUs
- Calcutta Medical College has 120 paediatric beds, 110 SNCUs, 22 NICUs, 25 PICUs
- NRS Medical College has 120 paediatric beds, 69 SNCUs, 10 NICUs, 12 PICUs
- Dr BC Roy PGIPS has 250 paediatric beds, 154 SNCUs, 20 NICUs, 24 PICUs
- RG Kar Medical College has 120 paediatric beds, 80 SNCUs, 25 NICUs, 12 PICUs
- Calcutta National Medical College has 120 paediatric beds, 46 SNCUs, 10 NICUs, 12 PICUs
- Chittaranjan Seva Sadan has 60 paediatric beds, 39 SNCUs, 10 NICUs, 24 PICUs
In order to treat paediatric patients, every district hospital and many subdivisional hospitals have also come up with adequate facilities. It has been done keeping in mind the likelihood of children being vulnerable to the third wave.
Though that might not happen, the infrastructure has formed a bulwark in dealing with any future cases of infections amongst children, be it COVID-19 or fever or anything else.
More than 244 PICUs and 161 NICUs were already operational across the districts and now, further training of doctors, nurses and general duty staff to handle patients admitted in those specialised beds has started.
