The facility is expected to improve care of new born infants and reduce chances of neonatal mortality           

A new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will be inaugurated on August 30 at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cantonment General hospital (SVPCGH), Golibar Maidan.

The state of the art NICU with a capacity of four beds has been set up under the technical supervision of the Department of Pediatrics, AFMC. According to Surg Commodore Sheila Mathai, VSM, Professor & HOD, Dept of Paediatrics, AFMC, advanced training in intensive care of newborn infants has been provided to the nurses of SVPCGH at CH (SC) over the past few months. Paediatricians of AFMC will be providing round-the-clock cover to the NICU for the initial years.

The unit will be inaugurated by Air Marshal DP Joshi, Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services in the presence of Surg Vice Admiral Sushil Kumar,  Director and Commandant, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and Sanjeev Kumar, IDES, Cantonment Executive Officer, Pune.

The NICU is equipped with all essential equipment including ventilator, continuous positive airway pressure machines, manifold for central oxygen supply, radiant warmers, double surface phototherapy machines, ABG machine and multisystem monitors.

According to Surg Vice Admiral Sushil Kumar, Director  and  Commandant, AFMC, “Establishment of this neonatal ICU will enable SVPCGH to take care of extremely sick, premature and low birth weight babies requiring resuscitation, hypothermia therapy, continuous oxygenation, advanced intervention and specialized NICU care.” This facility is expected to improve care of new born infants and reduce chances of neonatal mortality. This facility will help the hospital handle high-risk labour cases and preterm infants and is an important step in up-gradation of the hospital to a multispecialty level.