CHANDIGARH: More than 800 deliveries took place every month on an average in 2022 in the PGI, which has just 14 beds in the labor room. Similarly, GMCH-32 witnessed around 400 deliveries every month with a bed occupancy of 200%. The situation was equally worse in GMSH-16 where around 750 monthly deliveries have to be adjusted in a 20-bedded labor room.
The bed strength in delivery wards in major public hospitals in the city has been severely outnumbered as compared to patients coming in from as far as Uttarakhand and Bihar. The situation has become alarming as every bed has to be shared between two mothers (even three at times) due to lack of space in hospitals.
“Since deliveries have been institutionalised, the wards are accommodating patients 200% more than their capacity. We cannot refuse any case and have to adjust all mothers and babies,” said an official in the UT health department.
At any given time, the wards are full where a single bed is shared between two mothers, while more than one baby shares the same cot. “The premature babies are small in size and so many newborns are almost piled over each other. This puts babies at risk of catching infection. Some of them have even died,” said a doctor in the PGI.
Even GMCH other GMSH are no different in this regard. Keeping the situation in mind, these hospitals are coming up with dedicated mother and childcare hospitals. GMCH will have more than 250-bedded center and GMSH will have 500-bedded facility. Though these additional centers will streamline the flow to some extent, the unwanted referrals may still add to the problem.
The bed strength in delivery wards in major public hospitals in the city has been severely outnumbered as compared to patients coming in from as far as Uttarakhand and Bihar. The situation has become alarming as every bed has to be shared between two mothers (even three at times) due to lack of space in hospitals.
“Since deliveries have been institutionalised, the wards are accommodating patients 200% more than their capacity. We cannot refuse any case and have to adjust all mothers and babies,” said an official in the UT health department.
At any given time, the wards are full where a single bed is shared between two mothers, while more than one baby shares the same cot. “The premature babies are small in size and so many newborns are almost piled over each other. This puts babies at risk of catching infection. Some of them have even died,” said a doctor in the PGI.
Even GMCH other GMSH are no different in this regard. Keeping the situation in mind, these hospitals are coming up with dedicated mother and childcare hospitals. GMCH will have more than 250-bedded center and GMSH will have 500-bedded facility. Though these additional centers will streamline the flow to some extent, the unwanted referrals may still add to the problem.
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