HYDERABAD: Niloufer Hospital’s neonatal department is witnessing a record number of 1,000 in-patient admissions per month with premature baby deliveries rising in hospitals. Of all the in-patients, nearly 6 per cent are less than 1 kg in weight, whereas 20 per cent of the in-patients are between 1-1.5 kg, say doctors.
“Niloufer Hospital is one of the biggest hospitals in the country now in terms of new admissions with over 150-200 children referred from the hospital itself to the neonatal wings and roughly 50-100 children are brought in from outside,” informed Dr Madireddy Alimelu, head of the Neonatology department.
The hospital, along with these in-patients, is handing over 150 children in its weekly follow-ups once a week. “As preemies they are prone to having lower development and may also be prone to infections, which is why our team is routinely following up on all babies who need it via telephone interactions apart from weekly check-ups,” added Dr Swapna L, Assistant Professor, Niloufer Hospital.
Meanwhile, patients state that the hospital’s focus on the mother-child connection is what works out. “The hospital was our last choice because I thought government hospitals don’t have sufficient facilities. However, when my baby was born prematurely, they ensured I was not separated from my baby and enabled quick recovery with things like kangaroo mother technique and breastfeeding,” shared Taureen Unisa, a mother whose child was only 900 gm at birth.