Mumbai: Pediatric Beds in More Hospitals Now as Third Wave of Covid Looms | Bombay News

MUMBAI: Several outlying hospitals that did not have designated Covid beds for pediatric patients in the first or second wave have now started to create them in anticipation of the third wave. Civic medicine colleges have also started training community doctors in the identification and treatment of pediatric Covid for a few weeks, although doctors have said that fears that more children will contract the virus in the third wave n is unfounded.
The number of pediatric beds will reach 1,500 once all the facilities are operational, including 1,300 in jumbo and 200 in medical schools and peripheral hospitals. According to BMC plans, the number of pediatric beds in medical schools – KEM, Sion, Nair and RN Cooper – will increase from 34 to 82. Pediatric intensive care beds for Covid will increase from 22 to 27 at these colleges, while The neonatal intensive care beds will be increased to 30 with an addition of 10 beds. “Covid pediatric beds will account for almost 10% of the city’s total Covid beds,” said Suresh Kakani, additional city commissioner.
The city’s four upcoming jumbo facilities will each have 200 to 250 pediatric beds, while Nesco in Goregaon will add up to 400, Kakani added. In peripheral hospitals, the number of Covid pediatric isolation beds will increase to 103 from the existing 18. The majority of these beds will be created in Rajawadi hospitals in Ghatkopar, Babasaheb Ambedkar in Kandivli, Bandra Bhabha and Bhabha Kurla. Dr Vidya Thakur, medical superintendent at Rajawadi Hospital, said of the 70 pediatric beds at the hospital, 20 will now be reserved for children who are positive for Covid. There were no Covid beds for children until now, she added.
Kakani said the BMC is also purchasing the necessary medical equipment to treat the children. Up to 5% of the children had to be hospitalized, as observed in the first and second waves, although the majority are those with co-morbidities. Dr Mukesh Agarwal from KEM Hospital in Parel said they have also started work on increasing beds for children. “But it’s important to understand that the fear that more children will be affected is unfounded. As more adults were affected, more children were also affected in the second wave. Their overall share in Covid infection has remained constant at 10% of all cases, ”he said. He said pediatric admissions are more concentrated in the 12-18 age group.
In addition to increasing infrastructure, the civic body has started webinars as well as physical training for doctors. Two weeks ago, as many as 700 doctors had logged in to a webinar on Understanding Signs and Symptoms. During the seminar organized by Sion Hospital, Dr Radha Ghildiyal, head of the pediatrics department, focused on five key parameters: temperature, pulse, respiration, oxygen saturation and urine flow.

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