Wednesday, 13 NOVEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
With the goal of improving patient facilities, the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) ward was officially inaugurated by the Health minister Dhan Singh Rawat on Tuesday at Gandhi Shatabdi Eye Hospital.
Speaking on the occasion, Rawat said that improvements in the healthcare sector are ongoing, with plans to address the shortage of specialist doctors by 2027. All vacant positions for ANM, nursing staff, paramedical and pharmacists have been filled in the State. He also announced the opening of Haridwar Medical College, with plans for additional medical colleges in Rudrapur, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh. He further added that Uttarakhand is set to become the first state to provide 200 specialist doctors annually to other states.
Further, the hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr VS Chauhan informed that the ward is now open with six beds and will undergo upgrades in the future. Currently, in order to ensure the smooth operation of the NICU ward, the hospital has recruited two medical doctors holding MBBS degrees and ten nurses through the National Health Mission (NHM). Further, a pediatrician has been brought on board specifically for the ward. In addition, six security guards and six medical attendants have been hired to support the ward’s operations. He informed that upon the commencement of the SNCU ward’s activities, four children were admitted on the same day.
Both the Deen Dayal Upadhyay district hospital and Gandhi Shatabdi Eye Hospital have been lacking a NICU ward for a significant period of time, posing challenges for numerous patients. Due to limited space at these hospitals, the hospital administration had to refer patients to the NICU ward at Government Doon Medical College hospital. Despite initial difficulties in establishing the ward, recent guidance from the State administration has prompted the hospital administration and officials to make efforts to establish the NICU ward at Gandhi Shatabdi hospital.
