No doctor and just one nurse for entire unit during night shift

BEAWAR: Situated some 45 km from the JLN hospital in Ajmer, the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Amritkaur Hospital, Beawar, refers most of its patients to Ajmer despite being better equipped than the former. Reason: acute shortage of staff.
TOI did a reality check at the hospital on Tuesday night and found that 29 babies were accommodated in the 20-bed SNCU.However, there was no doctor and just one nurse for the entire SNCU during the night shift.
It’s not surprising then that the crib death figures at Beawar SNCU are very high despite a large number of patients being referred to the Ajmer hospital. As many as 46 infants have died at the Beawar unit this year, compared to 45 at JLN Hospital, where most patients are admitted only when they reach a critical stage. As many as 152 infants died in 2015 and 175 in 2014 at Beawar SNCU. Paediatricians posted in the hospital have a tough job as they have to attend patients in the OPD as well as in the SNCU.
“Whenever we get a call from the SNCU at night we come to see the infant. Last night, I attended to an infant at 3am,” said Dr Manohar Singh Chandrawat, senior paediatrician. He added that there are just two senior paediatricians and one medical officer to take care of 600 infants born every month.
Five infants have died at the SNCU in May. “We do not have a paediatric surgeon, so we have to refer infants requiring surgery to JLN hospital’s SNCU,” Chandrawat said.
There are just two paediatricians and one medical officer to take care of 600 infants born every month. Five infants have died at the SNCU in May alone.