In anticipation of the third Covid wave, the Rajasthan government has started taking measures to strengthen medical facilities at all children’s hospitals in the state as many experts have suggested that the third wave is likely to impact children the most.
On Monday, during a review meeting held at JK Lone hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said that the Sir Padampat Mother and Child Care Institute (JK Lone) along with other hospitals in the city are mobilising all necessary resources for the treatment of children.
"Very soon around 200 ICU beds would be available at this leading 800-bedded JK Lone hospital in Jaipur. It is expected that a large number of children will be affected during the possible third wave of the virus, so keeping that in view, 600 beds in JK Lone hospital will be kept reserved for corona patients, which can be converted into ICU beds at the time of need,” Sharma told reporters.
When asked about the availability of medical oxygen at the hospital, Sharma said that all beds in the facility are connected to the centralized oxygen system and also an oxygen plant is being set up there. JK Lone hospital will soon have around 1,500 litre oxygen capacity, he added.
Clarifying that the preparations for Covid treatment will not affect the 200-bedded NICU unit, Sharma said, "The treatment of children will continue at the NICU unit as usual. Apart from this, if there is a shortage of beds for treatment of other children, arrangements can be made in Sethi Colony and Gangaur Hospital.”
In the meeting, attended by the SMS Medical College principal Dr Sudhir Bhandari, JK Lone Hospital superintendent Dr Arvind Shukla, Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Narottam Sharma and other senior doctors, the minister directed authorities to pay special attention to completing all the works there within the prescribed time frame.
On Sunday, Rajasthan recorded 144 new Covid positive cases and four deaths. Around 10 out of 33 districts have recorded zero cases. The state has also started “unlocking” as the government has begun lifting many Covid-induced restrictions after 45 days of strict lockdown.
