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Bengal to set up first surgical sick neo-natal care unit in country

For the first time across the country West Bengal is all set to set up a specialised surgical sick neo-natal…

Bengal to set up first surgical sick neo-natal care unit in country

Representational Image (Photo: Getty Images)

For the first time across the country West Bengal is all set to set up a specialised surgical sick neo-natal care unit (SSNCU) at the state-run N R S Medical College and Hospital in the city.

The 12-bed SSNCU will be operational likely from August to provide critical treatment for neo-natal babies with congenital abnormalities in chest, abdomen, intestine etc.

“This will be the first SSNCU in the country and newborns with congenital abnormalities in abdomen, chest, intestine etc can undergo surgeries in the unit that will come up in the sixth floor of the main building,” said Dr Soumitra Biswas, head of paediatric surgery unit of N R S Medical College and Hospital.

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“It will help us reduce the surgical neo-natal mortality rate in our state to at least 25 to 30 per thousand cases once the SSNCU starts functioning. The existing surgical neo-natal mortality rate is 35 to 40 cases out of 1000 newborns.

There will be a regular census on the mortality rate on this type of surgical neonatal babies in the state if the unit comes up,” he added. The paediatric surgery unit of the hospital has already informed the health department requesting to provide infrastructure like equipment and human resources like doctors and trained nurses.

“We need several equipment ventilators, cardiac monitors, baby warmers etc and several pediatric surgeons, general medicine, anaesthetists and nurses and equipment to make the SSNCU operational,” a senior paediatric surgeon of the hospital said.

“Only NRS hospital in the country has the largest pediatric surgery unit with 100 indoor beds for treatment of babies and children showing different kinds of surgical deformities.

It will be easier for us to bring down the surgical mortality rate among newborns once the SSNCU comes up in the unit. The civil construction for the SSNCU is nearing completion,” he added requesting anonymity.

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