RANCHI: Taking lessons from the problems faced by pregnant
women during the outbreak of the pandemic last year, the
Ranchi district health authorities have strengthened the maternal and child clinic at the district
hospital anticipating a possible surge in the Covid-19 infections in the city.
From deploying dedicated staff for screening and testing of
pregnant women arriving at the
district hospital to increasing the capacity of the special newborn care unit (SNCU), the district health authorities have decided to keep the
services available round the clock.
Talking to TOI, district civil surgeon Dr V B Prasad said, “Patients with non-Covid ailments had experienced inconvenience after the outbreak last year. To prevent a rerun of such a situation, our Covid-19 testing labs will work round the clock at the
sadar hospital so that no patient faces problems while getting admission, which requires Covid-19 negative test reports.”
Notably, several
pregnant women were denied admission during the initial days of the outbreak last year as they didn’t have a negative Covid-19 test report. A few patients had also suffered miscarriages as they weren’t attended to and admitted timely admission.
Dr Prasad said, “A lab technician along with a computer operator will be available round the clock to collect Covid-19 samples and smooth admission of pregnant women at the district hospital. Instructions have been given to duty doctors as well as other paramedics and nursing staff to ensure that no such patients face any problems.”
Meanwhile, DC Chhavi Ranjan visited the sadar hospital and inaugurated the extended SNCU ward which caters to newborns.
Talking to TOI, Ranjan said, “We have added four new baby warmers along with other required medical equipment at our SNCU unit. The addition has been done keeping the increased deliveries at the district hospital in mind so that the newborns are taken care of properly.”