All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna. Telegraph picture

AIIMS-Patna would train doctors of government hospitals in Bihar and Jharkhand better ways to handle medical emergencies of children.

Thirty-six doctors from government hospitals of the two neighbouring states are expected to take part in the paediatrics advanced life support course (PALS) in March, 2014. Indian Academy of Paediatrics launched the course in 1994. According to experts, every paediatrician needs to undergo this training, which makes him/her more efficient to deal with critical cases related to children.

Talking about the need of organising the training programme, Arun Kumar Barnawal, the head of the paediatrics department, AIIMS-Patna, said: “Bihar and Jharkhand are the only states in this country where there are no PALS instructors. It’s really worrisome. We want to produce PALS course instructors for the two states.”

Barnawal said the validity of the PALS training course is two years. A paediatrician needs to undergo this training every two years to know the advancements in the field. PALS course instructors would be called from Delhi to conduct the training. “AIIMS-Patna has only two PALS instructors but we need at least six to conduct this course. We have decided to call four instructors from Calcutta, Bhubaneswar, Delhi or Chennai.”

Elucidating about the training, Barnawal said: “This course tailors paediatricians about the first 15-minute care. The first 15-minute to 30-minute care is very crucial in critical cases. We call it the golden hour of treatment, which decides the final outcome. During the course, we tell the paediatricians what to do in the first 15 minutes when a case of respiratory failure or encephalitis arrives apart from briefing them what to do in other medical emergencies related to children.”

Barnawal said if AIIMS-Patna receives good response, the course might be run on a regular basis.

AIIMS director G.K. Singh said: “The PALS training course would benefit paediatricians of government hospitals. The trainees would learn protocol that would help them deal with cases better.”

Singh said the training would focus more on medical emergencies related to heart, lung and brain related problems among children.

“Often during medical emergencies, paediatricians tend to work in a haphazard manner but the PALS course training would help them go for organised treatment,” added Singh.