Jumbo centres to have ‘lounge’ for mothers of Covid +ve kids
MUMBAI: All six jumbo Covid centres in Mumbai will have a waiting room — mother lounge — for mothers of children who test positive for Covid-19. The non-infected mothers will be allowed to visit their children after wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) kits for their safety.
The move comes after it was observed during the second Covid wave that the infection rate among children increased by almost 50% and these infected children had to stay in isolated wards, away from their families for their treatment. This often affects their mental health, causing anxiety and sadness.
In this backdrop, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has instructed all the jumbo Covid centres — Dahisar jumbo centre, Kandarpada jumbo centre in Dahisar, Nesco jumbo centre at Goregaon, Bandra-kurla Complex (BKC) jumbo centre, NSCI Worli jumbo centre and Mulund jumbo centre — to make space for non-infected mothers in the form of a waiting room.
“We know that a mother’s touch is essential for children. When Covid-infected children undergo treatment in isolation wards, they become sad and scared. We have, therefore, created a space in our jumbo facility called mother lounge where these mothers can wait in an area with proper facilities like drinking water until their children get discharged,” said Dr Pradeep Angre, dean of Mulund jumbo centre.
The mothers will also be allowed to visit their children in the ward with PPE kits. “We will take all precautionary measures so that non-infected mothers do not contract the infection from their children,” said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, who was the brain behind the new provision. Jumbo centres at BKC, Dahisar and Mulund have already started working on it. If this becomes successful in getting infected children comfortable, then the same will be replicated in major civic-run hospitals as well. “If hospitals have space for the lounge, they can do it. There are no restrictions on it. We have seen that when a patient gets to talk and see their family members, they become happier, which also contributes to their faster recovery,” said Kakani.
Mumbai has recorded 745,012 Covid cases as of September 2, of which 3,418 are currently active, according to BMC’S dashboard. Of the total cases, 34,539 infections were seen among children and adolescents of whom 13,473 were aged below nine years and 34,539 were aged between 10 and 18.
In the second wave, city psychiatrists received a large number of recovered Covid-19 young patients who had to get hospitalised for treatment. They visited psychiatrists with complaints of anxiety, fear and nightmares.
“A child already becomes anxious when he/she contracts Covid-19. In addition to this, when they see healthcare staffers in PPE, they become more fearful. They have to stay alone in isolation wards which affects their mental health. Even after getting discharged, they are scared of staying away from their parents. Many suffer from separation anxiety from parents,” said Dr Nirmala Rao, founder of Aavishkar Clinic.