Jamshedpur, Jan. 15: Often, even with the best medical care, premature babies, or those born with complications, fail to survive as the process of transfer to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) proves fatal for the child.
But thanks to the initiative taken by Tata Motors Hospital (TMH), which has devised a procedure to ensure a safe and speedy transfer of such delicate babies to the NICU units of hospitals and nursing homes, such cases will now be a thing of the past.
The TMH, for the first time in the state, has decided to depute a team of doctors and paramedical staff in a fully-equipped ambulance with ventilators and monitoring instruments for safe transfer of neonates to their hospital?s NICU.
The hospital has started a trial run for the system a few days ago. It is to be launched for people later this month.
R. Pancholi, head of the paediatrics department, said today that low weight or blood sugar levels were often the causes of death in newborns. These created problems that needed immediate attention, and the wait until they reached the NICU was often fatal.
?The lack of proper care of a baby while transferring it, increases the chances of death up to 80 per cent, even if it is in the world?s best NICU,? he said.
Pancholi was addressing the 14th annual conference of the local chapter of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) at the Centre for Excellence.
The conference was inaugurated by M. Ray, deputy general manager of TMH.
Satish Deopujari, chairman of paediatric intensive care of IAP and associate professor of Sawangi Medical College at Wardha, was also present on the occasion.
?Once we get information that a newly-born child requires a transfer to NICU, the team will immediately rush to that place. The doctors and paramedical staff will examine the baby, provide necessary emergency treatment and once the condition is stabilised, the infant will be transferred to our hospital?s NICU,? said Pancholi, adding that a team of experts will be pressed into service once the baby reaches the hospital?s NICU.
