PUDUCHERRY: With a viral video showing pregnant women being shifted in overcrowded ambulances from the Rajiv Gandhi Women and Children Hospital (RGWCH) to the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduate Institute (IGGGH&PGI) drawing public criticism, the health department is planning for a cardiac care upgrade at the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital.
The women, along with newborn babies, were taken to IGGGH&PGI, located around four kilometres from RGWCH, as they were in need of specialist medical care, particularly in cardiology and certain other disciplines. The non-availability of echocardiogram at the RGWCH necessitated the transport of the women.
Responding to the criticism, Director of Health and Family Welfare Dr G Ravichandran acknowledged the issue and said that necessary steps were being taken to address the gap in specialist care and equipment at RGWCH. It is to be noted that being a women and children hospital, not all specialised departments are available at RGWCH.
"The health department is working towards a system wherein pregnant women, who come to the RGWCH for antenatal care, can also be provided with other specialist medical care facilities. A medical specialist has already been posted at the hospital, while echocardiograms — a vital scan to assess the baby’s heart during pregnancy — were being provided through a corporate hospital under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cardiology," Dr Ravichandran said.
However, the recent expiry of the MoU disrupted the arrangement, leading to an increase in the number of women being transported to IGGGH&PGI for the scan and other related cardiac issues. The system had been working fine until recently, and 2-3 pregnant women (on an average), requiring specialist care in areas like urology or nephrology, were comfortably shifted to IGGGH&PGI for consultations and treatment, Ravichandran added.
Pointing out that the number of pregnant women requiring foetal echocardiograms and electrocardiograms has led to the current situation, Ravichandran said, “Routine foetal echocardiogram has to be performed to detect heart problems in the baby before birth, allowing timely interventions after delivery."
In a bid to remedy the situation, the health department is procuring a cardiac probe for antenatal scanning and is planning to deploy trained sonographers at the RGWCH to carry out echocardiograms. “Additionally, efforts are under way to devise a cardiology MoU with a corporate hospital to meet cardiological requirements,” Ravichandran said.
“We are also working on a system to send other specialist doctors to RGWCH periodically (every week) to take care of the needs of pregnant women,” he assured.