Karnataka's paediatric infrastructure faces 'ramping up nightmare' for possible third Covid-19 wave

If experts are right, 1.13 lakh children in the state would need to be hospitalised

Karnataka’s paediatric infrastructure, as it stands now, could tolerate as much as a bump in children's Covid-19 cases, but would not be enough to sustain a major influx of cases, data shows.

With a population of 1.12 crore children (aged 0 to 14) who face possible infection, experts worry that even a small percentage of seriously ill children could overwhelm the state’s pediatric infrastructure.

As per data from the Medical Education Department and the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the state has a total of 481 ICU beds for paediatric cases and 551 in special care newborn units (SCNUs). There are at least 2,857 general and HDU beds in both pediatric and neonatal units.

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If, as experts believe, even one per cent of children develop serious complications from the disease, that would mean 1.13 lakh children in the state need to be hospitalised.

Dr Omprakash Patil, Director, Department of Health and Family Welfare, who is focusing on efforts to scale up paediatric infrastructure in rural areas, said that the government was already bolstering community health centres plus taluk and district health centres.

“We have 207 community health centres in Karnataka, each with one paediatrician. We recently hired 145 paediatricians to fill vacant slots at these centres. We also have 146 taluk hospitals where some pediatric positions were filled and the various district hospitals where there are two to three pediatric positions being filled,” he said.

Uncertainties

However, uncertainty over the mutating nature of the virus is creating a veritable “fog of war” about what to expect in the third wave. “We do not yet know if the percentage of serious child cases will increase, for example,” said Dr Arundathi Chandrashekar, Director, National Health Mission.

Much of the cues of what must be done will be taken by the committee looking into the third wave, added Dr Patil. “Ramping up would be needed to handle serious pediatric cases. Even for mild and moderate cases, we want to reserve beds for paediatricians in health centres so that they can treat the cases,” he said.

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Meantime, circulars have been issued to all medical colleges asking them to send their requirements regarding paediatric facilities, added Dr P G Girish, Director, Directorate of Medical Education.

“Everything will be ready including pediatric infrastructure by another one month. If it is necessary we would utilise the facilities available at Vanivilas and Ghousia hospital,” he said.

Then there is also the challenge of concurrently treating non-covid pediatric cases aside from Covid-19 cases. While the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) in Bengaluru has the greatest number of pediatric beds in the state (418), its infrastructure is focused on non-covid services.

“We get many pediatric cases: cardiac, encephalitis, poisoning, accidents, plus viral and bacterial infections. We won’t be able to ignore these cases amid the third wave,” said Dr Sanjay K S, Director, IGICH.