LARKANA, Feb 14: The mortality rate in neonatal and intensive care unit of the Chandka Medical College's Children Hospital has increased because of lack of facilities and staff.
A survey conducted by this correspondent revealed that 110 neonates died in January in the ICU and neonatology wards of the hospital. The mortality ratewas assessed at 22.54 per cent.
The head of the department of paediatrics, Prof Noor Ahmed Channo, said the 140-bed children hospital had neither incubator nor ventilator and laryngoscope. RMO Dr Sattar Shaikh said all 10 incubators and one ventilator went out of order.
Dr Sikandar Mughal and Dr Saifullah Jamro said shortage of staff, lack of instruments and facilities were the main causes of rise in mortality graph. The survey revealed that non-availability of paediatrics emergency cover at the Shaikh Zayed Hospital for women was also a big contributing factor in increased graph of deaths.
Prof (Dr) Rafia Baloch of the SZH supported the establishment of an emergency unit for newly born children to reduce the mortality rate. About 133 newly born babies had died in Dec 2004 in wards of neonatology and intensive care units of the Paediatric Medicine department of the Chandka Medical College Hospital.
The mortality rate remained 18.65 per cent in December 2004. The survey said up to Jan 6, 19 more such newly born babies had died of same conditions and due to non-availability of above two medical instruments which were essential for a teaching hospital's paediatric medicine department.
During the visit of neonatology and intensive care units of the hospital annexed with the Chandka Medical College Hospital, newly born babies were seen being supplied oxygen from a cylinder having no regulator.
A simple rubber tube attached with drip set was supplying oxygen to two babies having multiple connections. "We can not exactly measure the volume of oxygen through this temporary arrangement", said a doctor on duty.
It was difficult to know either the cylinder contained gas or had been emptied, he said. Most of the babies are kept on resuscitation table as cradles needed for these babies were available in the unit.
Some relatives of newly born babies were seen looking after babies lying on floor of the unit. A staff nurse on duty said she dealt from 25 to 40 patients per day. One could hardly carry out regular orders of medicine doses along with facing emergencies, she said.
A group of doctors who conducted study in wards told this correspondent that government medicines were found less effective than medicines of same 'generic' available in the market.
The cure rate, the study revealed, was high when patients kept on medicines purchased from open market while the cure rate remained low when patients received hospital medicines.
They said number of death increased during nights in the hospital and the ratio remained very low in morning. They said the hospital management could easily overcome shortcomings if budget and amount collected through charges be utilized without corruption.
