BENGALURU: As the number of pregnant women testing Covid positive has gone up, creating a scare among medical staff and other patients, many hospitals are setting up separate operation theatres to treat such cases. Recently at ESI Hospital, a pregnant woman had to undergo an emergency C-section. The doctors carried out the procedure taking all precautions, but when her Covid results came positive the next day, there was panic at the hospital.
In another case at KC General Hospital on Sunday, a pregnant women who was already tested positive did not reveal her status to the medical staff till the C-section was done. “She hid the truth from us. However, the Caesarean delivery was performed by wearing PPEs and all precautionary measures were taken. But when she revealed that she was Covid-positive, we were all shocked. We only have one OT and can’t keep it for both Covid and non-Covid patients, as uninfected patients are getting scared. As more pregnant women are testing positive, we are setting up a separate OT for such patients, in the next three to four days,” said Medical Superintendent B R Venkateshaiah.
A doctor at Jayanagar General Hospital said, “We have identified a ward that can be converted into an OT for Covid-positive pregnant women and it will start functioning soon.”Dr Jagadish Hiremath, CEO, Ace Suhas Hospital, said, “Pregnant women have low immunity than others and there is a 5-10% higher chance of them getting infected. Our hospital has a separate delivery room for Covid patients. The issue will be when babies test positive, as many hospitals don’t have the infrastructure or dedicated neonatal intensive care units to treat newborns.”
Dr Geetha Shivamurthy, Medical Superintendent, Vani Vilas Hospital, said, “We have been carrying out deliveries of Covid patients at the trauma and emergency care centre block at Victoria Hospital. We have already conducted 43 deliveries. A dedicated OT for pregnant women is necessary as in such cases, the ward can be sanitised and used again and the staff will know how to handle the patients. There will be panic if both Covid and non-Covid deliveries are done at the same place.”