Sick Newborn Baby Care unit, a boon for newborns

Srikakulam: The Sick Newborn Baby Care Unit (SNCU) is a boon for newborns. It was established at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital (RIMS) here in 2011 under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). 

The main objective in establishing the Sick Newborn Baby Care Unit under the NRHM in the district headquarters is to reduce mortality rate among neo-natal and newborn babies who are born with some birth defects. They will be kept under the care of SNCU. 

Medical treatment is made available for the babies at the SNCU for disroders like asthyxia (babies which don’t cry after birth), being deaf and dumb and neo-natal sepsis (infections) found normally in premature babies. Speaking to The Hans India here, nodal officer for SNCU Dr
Sampathirao Gunasekhar Raju said, “Organs may not be properly developed in pre-mature babies.

Although, one pediatrician and another MBBS doctor are available, we require two more pediatricians and two medical officers here.”  He said that due to lack of ultra-modern medical equipment at the SNCU, they were forced to refer the complicated cases to King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam, which is far away, the nodal officer lamented.  Every month they are referring an average of 10 cases to the KGH, he added.