GB Nagar admin begins exercise to make over 400 more ICU beds for kids

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar administration has started the process of creating 425 paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) beds in the district

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar administration has started the process of creating 425 paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) beds in the district. The move comes in the wake of predictions that a third wave of Covid-19 is possible which will likely affect children.

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Officials said that 350 PICU beds will be created at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida, while 75 such beds will be set up at the Super Specialty Paediatric Hospital and Post Graduate Teaching Institute, better known as Child PGI, in Noida. At present, there are 150 PICU beds in Child PGI, the officials said.

GB Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY said that the PICU beds will provide exclusive care for children needing treatment for the coronavirus disease. “At Child PGI, we are trying to increase the number of PICU beds from 150 beds to 225 beds. On the other hand, there are 350 ICU beds ready at GIMS, which can be converted into PICU beds any moment. Being a paediatrician himself, it’ll not be a tough task for the GIMS director to convert them into PICU beds,” he said.

“Besides, we are also looking for private medical colleges and hospitals in the district, where PICU beds can be arranged in case of any emergency,” Suhas said.

The DM further said that following the instructions given by the chief minister during his recent visit to Noida, the health department officials have been asked to make proper coordination with all departments concerned to control any critical situation. “The training of health officials for working in PICUs has already begun,” he said.

GB Nagar chief medical officer Dr Deepak Ohri said that a meeting regarding PICU beds will be held on Thursday, where the further course of action will be determined.

Dr Rakesh Gupta, the GIMS director, said, “During the first and second waves, our doctors and paramedics won the accolades for their exemplary services to Covid-19 patients. I am pretty sure that even if a third wave comes, we’ll not let the chief minister down,” he said.

Dr Akash Raj, medical director of Child PGI, said that if the beds available in the district hospital – which is presently being run from Child PGI’s building – will be added to our kitty, the number of beds to accommodate paediatric patients here will go up to 350. “At the moment, we are ready with 150 beds and it can be increased to 225 any moment,” he said.

Ajit Kumar, joint registrar of Sharda hospital, said that they have proper infrastructure to convert their ICU beds into PICU beds. “We’ll follow all the directives of the government in this connection,” he said.