E-Paper
Paediatric ICU at Chandigarh’s GMSH-16 to take another month for completion
As part of preparations for the third wave, the Chandigarh health department had decided to set up a 32-bed paediatric ICU at the hospital by October
Amid the rising Covid-19 cases in Chandigarh and neighbouring cities, the upcoming dedicated paediatric ICU centre at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, will not be ready for another month.
As part of preparations for the third wave, the UT health department had decided to set up a 32-bed, dedicated Covid paediatric unit at GMSH-16 by October. However, the already delayed project will take another one month for completion due to the Chandigarh municipal elections.
“The engineering work of the building got delayed initially. Due to the election code of conduct, approvals and filing procedures are taking extra time and work has not progressed for a month. It will resume on December 28 after the code of conduct is lifted and the facility will be ready in another month,” said Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, Chandigarh.
As per medical experts, the third wave of the pandemic can be more aggressive, which is likely to affect the non-immune people, including the paediatric population.
The new paediatric centre will have 12 ventilators, while the remaining beds will have medical oxygen facility.
It is being constructed at the hospital’s nursing hostel, which was lying vacant since the hostel was shifted to the campus of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32.
GMSH-16 already also has a 20-bed ICU for children at the hospital’s surgical ward. It includes eight ventilator beds and 12 oxygen beds.
Dr Suman added, “Besides the dedicated Covid ICU, the hospital is also planning to start an Advanced Paediatric Centre. Planning is underway and work is expected to start soon.”
Even though few children were infected with the virus in Chandigarh during the first and second waves of the pandemic, government hospitals in Chandigarh believe that ramping up facilities for them is the need of the hour.
GMCH-32 has also reserved 14 ventilators at the paediatric ICU (for children below 10), while a dozen ventilators are reserved for the neonatal care facility.
During the second wave of the pandemic, around 10 ventilators were dedicated for the paediatric population at the NHE Covid Block of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). Besides, the institute also had a 35-bed ICU with oxygen facility in its paediatric department.
