It was a short-lived relief for the denizens of state capital. Though the much awaited special care neo-natal unit at state’s so called premiere institution - Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for providing best treatment to new born babies has been unlocked by the authorities, it has not been made functional yet.
State Government in collaboration with United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in the year 2010 had set up the unit with all necessary equipment to provide health care at birth, to do follow up on high risk babies and treat sick new born babies but due to acute shortage of manpower in the hospital the unit could not be started.
According to the sources, to run the unit around 24 nurses are required, but the hospital did not have sufficient caring hands to for the newborns who are suffering from serious alignment.
“Presently, in RIMS there are only 468 nurses, out of which 376 are on contract basis and only 96 are on permanent basis. Around 20 per cent of the nurses are not contributing in the hospital work as a protest related to employment issues and the remaining nurses have been deputed shift-wise at various wards. Under such situation, it is difficult to provide 24 nurses solely for the neonatal ward,” said a hospital staff, who wished not to be named.
The unit of 16 beds besides monitors, weighting machines and oxygen concentrator is equipped with five radiant warmer machines, photo therapy machine, and pulse oximeters. Prematurely born babies are kept under radiant warmer machine with controlled conditions
designated to limit their
exposure to germs and also to keep them warm.
RIMS has a maternity ward of 10 beds and around 35 cases of delivery are reported here every day said sources. Currently, the hospital refers the neonatal cases to other hospitals. Although the hospital administration is willing to attend the cases in the hospital itself but due to shortage of manpower they are
forced to continue with the old practices.
“The problem of insufficient manpower in the hospital is not new for anyone. After much hue and cry the ward has been opened. Slowly deputation of doctors and nurses will also be done. Fingers cross,” said the Associate Professor of the Department of Paediatrics Dr Rajiv Mishra.
In the hospital as many as eight doctors had been sanctioned out of which only five of them are present here. The doctors in hospital feel that at least four more paediatricians should be assigned to man the ward as it requires round the clock vigil.
“In the recent board meeting, Health Minister Rajendra Prasad had assured to look the issue seriously and figure out a concrete solution as soon as possible. We are hopeful that the ward will be functional soon,” said RIMS Director Dr SK Choudhary.