3rd wave: With kids at risk, Jammu hospital ramps up facilities

ng a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which may target kids and teenagers, Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh Hospital — the only children’s hospital in Jammu city that caters to all 10 districts of the division — has started augmenting its facilities to be better prepared to deal with any exigency.

In the new paediatric block, which has three wards with 46 beds each, the hospital management plans to have 20 intensive care unit Covid beds in each ward.

SMGS Hospital medical superintendent Dr Dara Singh said, “All machinery has arrived and civil and mechanical work has begun. Beds in all paediatrics wards are being connected with high-flow oxygen. Similarly, 20 intensive care unit (ICU) beds with ventilators will be installed.”

“Being a paediatric hospital, we are preparing ourselves for the possibility that the third may affect children,” he said.

“We have apprised authorities of our manpower requirement. For starters, we have asked for 50 nurses, 50 nursing orderlies and 25 sweepers. If the workload increases, manpower will be increased accordingly,” said Singh.

“The hospital already has a 500 LPM oxygen generation plant. However, authorities have also sanctioned a new oxygen plant of 3,000 LPM ( litres per minute) to augment the supply. It will be installed within a week or two,” said Dr Singh.

A room has been prepared for the plant its flooring fixed. The plant will have an independent transformer and power setup so that supply is not interrupted.