Covid-19: Hospitals to train staff in handling children

The focus on children comes on the instructions of the government. While some reports indicated that children may be more affected in a third wave, experts have been saying that there was no evidence to support this theory.

Gautam Budh Nagar hospitals will be training their staff to ready themselves in the event of a third wave of Covid-19 infections that could possibly affect more children.

Since paediatrics is a specialised branch and in case the infection in children does prove to be severe, hospitals say they want to be ready. (File photo)

The focus on children comes on the instructions of the government. While some reports indicated that children may be more affected in a third wave, experts have been saying that there was no evidence to support this theory.

But since paediatrics is a specialised branch and in case the infection in children does prove to be severe, hospitals say they want to be ready.

“We have 60 resident doctors and over 200 nurses who are being trained by two paediatric experts,” said Dr (major) Rakesh Gupta, director, Government Institute of Medical Sciences who is also the former head of the department of paediatrics in the Armed Force Medical College (AFMC), Pune. They will be instructed on how to handle children, triage and administering medicine.

Dr Gupta added that on Wednesday, paediatric experts from government and private hospitals in the district came together to chalk out a plan to prepare for an expected third wave.

In the first step, paediatricians will train staff in their own hospitals.

Dr Ashutosh Sinha, additional director of Paediatrics, Fortis Hospital, said, “The trainings will help reduce an anticipated staff crunch in the paediatric wards. Uniform guidelines and standard operating procedure (SOPs) will also be created,” he said.

Sharda Hospital in Greater Noida will also hold a virtual weeklong session for all health care workers in the district from 11am to 4pm on May 31. “Three paediatric experts from our hospital will train the participants,” said PK Gupta, chairman of the hospital.

“Handling children is a bit sensitive. We will train nurses on how to administer medicines, and their doses along with how to handle the medicines. We will also advice on symptoms and the line of treatment,” said Dr Ashutosh Niranjan, medical superintendent at the hospital.

The district health department too will hold similar sessions. “The dates have not been decided yet,” said Dr Deepak Ohri, Chief Medical Officer.