India's first MICU to be handed over to Bihar govt on Sept 1

Malnutrition intensive care unit (MICU), country’s first of its kind medical facility at a government hospital exclusively for malnourished children aged between six months and five years, set up by international medical humanitarian organisation, Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and Doctor Without Borders at Darbhanga Medical College Hospital (DMCH), will be handed over to the state government on September 1.

Malnutrition intensive care unit (MICU), country’s first of its kind medical facility at a government hospital exclusively for malnourished children aged between six months and five years, set up by international medical humanitarian organisation, Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and Doctor Without Borders at Darbhanga Medical College Hospital (DMCH), will be handed over to the state government on September 1.

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The medical facility, which was established a year ago on March 1, 2014, provides specialised care to severely acute malnourished (SAM) children with serious medical complications. It was part of a three-tier model of medicare care which was implemented by MSF in Darbhanga in collaboration with the DMCH staff.

Meanwhile, superintendent of DMCH, Dr Santosh Kumar Mishra, while referring to a notification regarding acquisition of MICU by Bihar State Health Society (BSHS), has authorised medical officer of pediatrics department, Dr Ompraksh to discharge his responsibility as nodal officer of MICU till further order. Apart from DMCH superintendent, medical college principal Dr R K Sinha, MSF officials and a couple of doctors were present during the handing over of papers and documents in this regard on Saturday.

Appreciating the MSF’s model of care, the DMCH principal said centres like MICU must be made available in many more places to enhance treatment coverage for SAM. Dr Omprakash, the nodal officer said MICU was the only facility of its in the sense that it catered to severely malnourished children under stipulated age group, who suffered from serious co-morbidities, such as severe diarrhoea, sepsis, respiratory tract infection and severe anaemia among other ailments.

He also pointed out that for the treatment of moderate complications there was a provision of Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit (NRU) at a level below the MICU. MSF’s experience shows that among the patients admitted to its malnutrition treatment programme since 2009 curative treatment has been provided to more than 17,000 children.