200-bed mother & child wing coming up at Gandhi

Hyderabad: A new 200-bed mother and child health wing will be constructed on the Gandhi hospital campus behind the OPD block to exclusively cater to the health care of pregnant women with various health complications such as high blood pressure, obesity, gestational diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, etc.

These complications can involve the mother's health, the foetus's health, or both. At present, pregnant women are being treated under one roof in all state hospitals, but this exclusive wing will ensure proper care of the critical cases thus saving both the lives of mother and child.

The present gyenec and paediatric units at the hospital will continue to function in the present premises irrespective of the new mother and child wing. They will be treating pregnant women in normal health condition as well as paediatric cases.

Of the 200-beds in the new unit, 120 to 160 beds will be allocated to the OBG department, while 40 to 80 for paediatric wing for treatment of newborns. The paediatric unit will take care of newborns with serious health complications.

After the approval of the Centre for the exclusive mother and child health wing for Telangana as per its new project to bring down maternal mortality rate and newborn mortality rate in various states and agreed to release Rs 30 crore, the Telangana Health department has asked the TSMIDC (Telangana State Medical Services & Infrastructure Development Corporation) to prepare a building design and DPR in consultation with the Gandhi administration.

The proposed new building will be built in over one lakh square feet of area with latest infrastructure, ICU units, beds and modern equipment.

The top brass of the state department is keen on submitting the DPR to the Union Health Ministry at the earliest and take up the construction.

Since the land has been identified and the Centre is ready to give the funds, the department is pinning hopes on expediting the project and complete it by the next year.

While the Centre is bearing complete cost of the project, the Health department has to recruit additional manpower to ensure smooth running of the new facility.

The 200-bed wing needs nearly 25 OBG (Obstetrics & Gynaecology) and paediatric doctors, besides 60 to 80 nurses.

The establishment of the wing will also result in the raise in the number of PG seats in paediatrics (five to six) and OBG (10 to 12) departments soon. At present, there are 9 PG (paediatrics) seats and 25 PG (OBG) seats.