Lack of Equipment Hits New Mothers at Old GGH

VIJAYAWADA : Absence of full-fledged equipment at the paediatric department of the old Government General Hospital (GGH) is worrying the mothers of newborn babies, especially premature and underweight babies. Though the government claims to have initiated steps for setting up a superspeciality hospital in the city, the old GGH has been facing neglect for some time now, despite being converted into a complete maternity wing.

The old GGH handles about more than 60 deliveries in a day with people visiting the hospital not just from the city but also the surrounding areas of Vijayawada. While the hospital requires six ventilators, only one ventilator is working in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for the past one year. Though there is one more ventilator, it is non-functional. Shortage of ventilators is often forcing the doctors to depend on continuous oxygen machines to provide temporary respite for the premature babies.  Sometimes, the infants are referred to the Guntur Government General Hospital, which is 35 km from Vijayawada, for ventilator support.

There are two units (general), each with 30-bed capacity, in addition to the 20-bed NICU and 10-PICU at the hospital.  With the poor forming over 60 per cent of the city’s population (10 lakh), it is obvious that they depend on the GGH for all their health needs.

When Express contacted old GGH deputy superintendent Dr K Vijay Sekhar, he admitted that premature and underweight babies do require ventilator support. “If there is no ventilator facility, there is less chance for their survival. However, we are putting them on continuous oxygen machines to provide temporary respite.”

On the other hand, the hospital needs round-the-clock X-ray and lab facilities besides arterial blood gas analysis to provide good medical services. Against this backdrop, we have already urged the government, long ago, to supply more ventilators in the NICU and PICU but to no avail, he added. Parents of the infants often complain of lack of basic facilities and shortage of ventilators in the hospital.

“Since private hospitals charge exorbitant amounts, we are left with no option other than a government hospital. But, we are concerned about our baby’s health due to lack of facilities and equipment at the old Government General Hospital,” said K Rajeswari, relative of a patient admitted in the maternity ward of old GGH.