NMC’s 1st Covid maternity home starts after 3-month delay

Nagpur: In a major respite to asymptomatic Covid pregnant women, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) started its Pachpaoli Maternity hospital with 25 beds on Tuesday. The hospital is among five civic-run hospitals renovated at a cost of Rs1.63crore for Covid treatment but they were lying idle for last three months.
A team of two in-house gynecologists Dr Sangeeta Khandait and Dr Vaishali Mohkar, visiting anaesthetist Dr Anand Kamble, child specialist Dr Vinky Rughwani and assistant gynaecologist Dr Dipti Shende performed a caesarean section on a 30-year-old. She was referred from a private hospital where she had tested Covid positive.
Since the pandemic broke out, only IGGMCH and GMCH were handling all types of Covid deliveries as no private hospital admitted positive ante-natal cases (ANCs).
The mother and newborn were doing well, doctors said. “This is her second child. The baby was kept in a separate ward and handed over to relatives who are negative. The mother will be discharged after 10 days,” said Dr Khandait, incharge of the hospital.
The municipal commissioner has asked the doctors to start 25 beds as per available facilities and staff.
The hospitals still needs full time anaesthetist, gynaecology assistant, paediatrician. These specialists would be called from outside and be remunerated under the National Health Mission (NHM). The hospital staff also includes a dentist and resident medical officers.
“We will do only stage I and stage II deliveries because we donot have ventilator. When we get full time physician, anaesthetist, intensivist, then we will start in fully fledged manner. It is a 110-bed hospital. As of now we have only 25 functional,” Dr Khandait said.
“The first patient was admitted in private for delivery. Someone approached us and we decided to take the patient as we were in the process of starting,” Dr Khandait said.
The woman was brought with loss of fetal movement and drop in fluid level. “We had to perform C-section but the estimated date of delivery was due,” she said.
ZMOs and assitants commissioners have been told to instruct anganwadi and asha workers to counsel pregnant women. “Those who test positive at NMC centres would be brought here in case they are asymptomatic and not having complicated pregnancy. We are also getting lists from our CCC and testing centres and we are following them up,” Dr Khandait said.
Stage I pregnancy refers to the patient without symptoms and mild fever in Stage II. “In case patient has cough, oxygen saturation level is low and needs ventilator, she will have to be referred to tertiary care hospital only,” she added.
Morning OPD and induction will be done. Emergency patients reporting late night too will be admitted.