Nagpur GMCH to open new 40-bed NICU for newborns in October
The new unit at Nagpur's Government Medical College and Hospital is in its final phase of work and is expected to raise neonatal intensive care capacity from 50 to 80 beds.
The capacity to treat premature and critically ill newborns at the Government Medical College and Hospital (Medical) in Nagpur is set to grow. Work on a new 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has reached its final phase, and preparations are under way to start it in October.
The NICU at Medical currently has 50 beds. When the new unit opens, 40 beds will be added, taking the total to 90. However, about 10 beds of the old NICU will be used for another unit's work. The final NICU capacity will therefore rise from 50 to 80 beds, an increase of 60 per cent in beds available for newborns. The NICU has long played an important role in treating critically ill newborns.
A few months ago, a premature newborn weighing just 700 grams was treated here for about 100 days and was saved. With the new NICU, such critical cases will get additional beds and modern facilities, including ventilators, CPAP, oxygen support, phototherapy and modern monitoring. Depending on the newborn's condition, treatment can last from a few days to several weeks or months.
Dr Avinash Gawande, medical superintendent of Medical, said the new state-of-the-art NICU will give newborns immediate specialised care and treatment. According to him, the added capacity will ease crowding and help provide treatment without delay in serious cases. He said families in Nagpur, as well as in Vidarbha and central India, will benefit.
Meanwhile, the state government has approved schemes worth about Rs 1,000 crore for the development, expansion and modernisation of Medical and Mayo hospitals. These include modernisation of critical care facilities, robotic surgery, a cath lab, nuclear medicine systems, renovation of wards, a skywalk, hostels and development of other basic facilities.
