Niloufer Hospital Arranges 1000 Beds And Is Prepping Up To Deal With The Third Wave Of Covid-19

So far Covid-19 vaccines have not been made available to children. The academic year is starting in the next week. There seems to be an imminent danger of a third wave starting in September. The government is planning to provide an additional 1,000 beds at Niloufer Hospital to deal with the threat, following the warnings from medical experts that the virus could affect children. In addition to the old building, the Infosys building opposite it, the officials decided to put temporary sheds on the Natco OP building and make extra beds available. In the first wave, 800 children across the state were infected with the virus. Two of whom died. Up to 300 children have got Covid-19 positive so far in the current second wave.

Currently Niloufer Neonatal Health Center has a thousand beds. About 1,200 children are treated here daily as inpatients. Due to the lack of beds for the proportion of patients, two to three children are treated for incubation and phototherapy on a single bed. Most of them are congenitally malnourished, low birth weight babies born prematurely.

Due to the lack of separate beds here in First Wave, those with Covid-19 symptoms were immediately rushed to Gandhi for treatment. Covid-19 ward was then set up in the Infosys building with 150 beds. So far 70 children have been admitted here. Three of them died. Nilofar Hospital has been declared a Pediatric Covid Nodal Center in the wake of expert warnings that the third wave is likely to have a greater impact on children. To that extent, it was engaged in the work of preparing another thousand beds in addition to the existing beds.

There are 12 pediatric units, 3 gynecology units, 4 general surgery units, and 2 neonatology units. The old building has two oxygen storage tanks with a capacity of 6 KL and Rajiv Arogyasree Intensive Care Unit with a capacity of 10 KL. All existing beds have an oxygen supply. Oxygen pipelines are required for newly installed beds. These tanks which have been filled daily till now will not have any problem even if they have to be filled two to three times a day in future. According to hospital medical experts, the availability of medical facilities as well as infrastructure and oxygen to patients is a good factor for children.

"So far all those over 65 have been vaccinated. It is almost complete, even for those over 45 years of age. Super spreaders over the age of 18 are currently being vaccinated. It will take another six to eight months for the vaccine to become available to children. In addition, children can't wear masks for a longer time. In the morning and the children come together and play. Physical distance is also difficult to follow at this time. Already all the adults are being vaccinated, going all out in the name of office, markets, businesses. Vaccination increases immunity in them. Even though there are infected with the virus, the symptoms do not appear. So, there is a risk of infection in children from them", says, Dr. Ramesh Reddy, State Director of Medical Education.