Jammu:Jammu and Kashmir Health Department has tightened its belt fearing a third wave hit of Corona reportedly to affect children, by equipping all government hospitals with Pediatric Intensive Care Units and other facilities.
Sources in the Health Department said in view of speculative third wave threat, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has started augmenting its health and medical care infrastructure with adequate facilities.
“Focus is on pregnant women and children. Special wards are being readied at Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh Hospital in Jammu and Mother and Child Hospital in Gandhi Nagar,” they said.
Many hospitals have been provided additional beds, adding, “special directions are issued to set up Pediatric Intensive Care Units in all district hospitals.”
However, the government has also constituted a task force to initiate these facilities.
“Pediatric Intensive Care Units being readied and during the second wave in Gandhi Nagar's Mother-Child Hospital and from 110 beds, the facility is enhanced to 200 beds and Pediatric Intensive Care Units with a capacity of 20 beds each, are also being set up at Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh Hospital and Mother and Child Hospital.”
“We are taking necessary actions in augmenting the Pediatric wards and related Intensive Care Units for which deliberations are already in progress,” Dr Shashi Sudan Sharma, Principal and Dean, Government Medical College and Hospital and Associated Hospitals told UNI.
According to the officials, the oxygen facility has been enhanced to 350 additional beds alone in GMC Jammu and at Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh Hospital, at present 250 beds have an oxygen facility.
Now with a project worth Rs 2.40 cr, the oxygen facility is being enhanced in all 750 beds in the hospitals.
“A new emergency wing of 100-bedded has started functioning in the Government Medical College, Jammu and apart from this plans are in the pipeline to add more 100 beds in the Intensive Care Units,” said an official.
“Facilities are being continuously improved in the GMC and allied hospitals so that no patient suffers shortage of any of the facility,” they said.