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Infants deaths continue at G B Pant hospital Lal Singh yet to pay his visit 7/1/2015 11:46:44 PM Early Times Report Srinagar, July 1: In-spite of increasing graph of neonatal deaths at valley's only pediatric hospital ie G P Pant hospital, Health Minister Chowdhry Lal Singh is yet to pay a visit to the hospital. Around three years back G B Pant hospital had been in the news for several months as many infants deaths were reported to have taken place in this hospital due to official negligence. Media during that time had exposed Government's non serious attitude towards the neonatal and child healthcare in state. It was not only the media but even the judiciary had intervened and J&K High Court had during that time send show cause notices to Government after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the high court. Anti Government protests had shook Srinagar and with an aim to calm down the situation the then Medical Superintendent of G B Pant hospital Dr Javid Chowdhary was even shown the door. Omar Abdullah who was the Chief Minister during that time brought a retired Medical College Professor from Community Medicine department with least experience in hospital administration to function as Medical Superintendent at G B Pant hospital. It was thought that all is well , but the situation remains as it was three years back. For looking into 2012 infant deaths at G B Pant hospital an enquiry committee was constituted by the Government headed Bipul Pathak the then Commissioner Secretary IT & Science Technology. His report gave a clean chit to Medical Superintendent. It was believed after 3 years of the infant deaths episode that G B Pant hospital would be set right. People apprehend all is well in this hospital but that is not at all true. The graph of neonatal deaths has not come down at all and infants continue to die in this hospital due to absence of basic medical equipments like Ventilators , Incubators etc. "I was in G B Pant hospital for 18 long days right from May 29th to June 15th 2015 as my ailing newborn baby was admitted there in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I know how that baby suffered due to absence of basic medical equipments in the so called Intensive Care Unit. It is only God's grace that the baby is alive today . Had I not alerted Minister of State (MoS) for Health & Medical Education Asiya Naqash , the baby could have died within 24 hours of her admission in neonatal the ICU (NICU)" said Dr Mushtaq Khan a Dentist cum Social activist from Kathi Darwaza Srinagar G B Pant hospital has two specialized intensive care units (ICU's) , one is called Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and another is known as Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The newly born patients (Neonates) are admitted in NICU and other serious pediatric patients are given treatment at PICU. NICU has two sections, NICU-A and NICU-B where neonates (newly born children) are treated. There are nine beds in NICU-A and 14 in NICU-B. But the number of patients admitted in these two units exceeds the bed capacity. One of the important life saving appliance in a hospital is called Ventilator. This helps to give artificial respiration to the patient. There are 10 (ten) such ventilators at G P Pant hospital. 5 (five) are available in Neonatal ICU (NICU) and another five are installed in Pediatric ICU (PICU). As many as five to ten serious neonatal cases who need to be put on ventilators arrive at hospital on daily basis. As there is dearth of ventilators in NICU , these infants (neonates) are kept in plastic oxygen hoods which is called "Incubator". The oxygen supply to these plastic hoods is done manually by the attendants by pumping the oxygen mask (ambu mask). "How can a newborn (neonate) who needs to be kept on ventilator, survive in an unhygienic plastic hood which is hardly sterilized or cleaned ? Neonates mostly suffer from pneumonia and the plastic oxygen hood (Incubator) when not sterilized or cleaned properly is prone to transmit the disease from one neonate to another and this does happen in NICU" Dr Mushtaq added He further said that Health Minister Lal Singh visited G B Pant hospital in June ist week , but he took some photos while inaugurating some oxygen plant in the hospital , but he had no time to visit wards and ICU's.   Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network     Comment on this Story

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