VSS neonatal care centre ails on many fronts

BURLA: The neonatal care centre in VSS Medical College and Hospital is in dire straits due to lack of infrastructure. While there are 22 incubators installed in the centre, 11 of them have gone defunct and doctors are using electric bulbs to keep the newborns warm. The centre also lacks infrastructure to carry out phototherapy (light therapy) for treatment of jaundice in babies. Against the requirement of 12 phototherapy units, the centre has just six.
The situation of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is no better. Against the required eight ventilators, there are just two of which, one is defunct. The NICU does not have central suction machine while the lone electric suction machine used for preventing asphyxia does not work properly.VSS Medical superintendent G S Dash said they had entered into annual maintenance contract (AMC) with the suppliers of the equipment and process of repair and maintenance is underway.