Karnataka's only government-run cancer care hospital, the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology Cancer Research and Training Centre, is set to get a pediatric oncology ICU by the first week of August. Children frequent this hospital for cancers including blood, brain, lymphoma, solid tumours in the liver, kidney or pancreas, bones and soft tissue.
During the lockdown, owing to lack of transportation and restrictions on movement, they would get one or two new cases every three days but now with unlocking in place, the number has risen to five to seven cases, doctors from the hospital said. 90 percent of their patients are below the poverty line, while the rest include above poverty line urban patients.
"The ICU will have eight beds and six step down ICU beds where patients who need oxygen but do not require a ventilator will be admitted, before being shifted to the general ward. We receive around 600 new pediatric cancer cases a year and 2000 patients come for follow-up treatment," said Dr C Ramachandra, director of Kidwai Hospital.
"The pediatric ICU is necessary as children with cancer who are on chemotherapy suffer from febrile neutropenia, where their count of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets go down and they acquire an infection from within. In such cases, ICU admissions are warranted as the patients suffer sudden deterioration," said Dr. Arun Kumar AR, associate professor and in-charge head of department, Pediatric Oncology, Kidwai Hospital.
The ICU is also required for oncological emergencies such as tumour lysis syndrome, superior mediastinal syndrome, etc. The ICU stay for children could vary from 3-4 days to 7-10 days.
The medical ICU in the hospital campus is undergoing renovation, while the OPD block funded by the Infosys foundation and the PET scan building will be opened soon. A tender has been called for building a waiting hall for patients, especially for those undergoing long treatment. They along with an attender will be able to stay there while their reports, investigations and tests are done, prior to being admitted.