A recent tragedy in Akola, Maharashtra, has shed light on the alarming shortage of qualified paediatric surgeons and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) facilities in government hospitals across the state. The untimely demise of a newborn with a surgically treatable birth defect highlights the dire consequences of this critical gap in healthcare services. The condition, known as ‘oesophageal atresia,’ could have been effectively treated with the expertise of a paediatric surgeon and proper NICU support.
Currently, Maharashtra\’s 23 medical colleges and hospitals, which serve as tertiary care centers for complex surgeries, have a meager three full-time paediatric surgeons. In major cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur, there are only seven permanent positions for these specialists, with the remaining either filled by temporary doctors or lying vacant. Shockingly, some medical colleges-hospitals in other cities have yet to establish the role of a paediatric surgeon.
The scarcity of NICUs exacerbates the situation, not only in rural areas but also in urban government hospitals such as Kamala Nehru, YCMH, and the renowned BJ Medical College and Sassoon Hospital. Visiting doctors are currently shouldering the burden of providing these crucial services, but their availability is limited due to other commitments. Additionally, Sassoon Hospital lacks a permanent paediatric surgeon and dedicated infrastructure for NICU care.
Healthcare activists emphasize the urgency of addressing this issue, as approximately one in every 3,000 babies in Maharashtra is born with a birth defect. Establishing NICUs in all 23 hospitals could potentially save around 10,000 newborns annually. However, the Maharashtra government has been criticised for neglecting the plight of these children, contributing to the neonatal and infant mortality rates in the state.
Source: Times of India
