Manipal Launches Bangalore's First Paediatric Emergency

EHM News Bureau

Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, launched the city's first paediatric emergency, which will cater to children who need medical attention during critical conditions. The six-bed paediatric emergency medicine set-up, complete with life saving equipment and special facilities, is headed by Dr Meera Ramakrishnan, a consultant paediatric intensivist and comprises a team of paediatric doctors and nurses trained to care for children.

Indian cricket team ace paceman and the current coach for the Under-19 team, Venkatesh Prasad, inaugurated the facility on the occasion of children's day. Said Dr Ramakrishnan, who is also the Head of Paediatric Emergency, Manipal Hospital, "Children and adolescents are special patients who need the expertise and care of nurses and physicians who are skilled in paediatric care, since their problems are different from those of adults. The goal of the paediatric emergency room is to provide high-quality emergency medical care in an efficient and caring manner."

The paediatric emergency provides immediate help for patients with several problems such as severe wheezing, seizures, poisoning, fever, dehydration, burns and victims of trauma. The department can stabilise and provide ventilatory support to the needy patients before transferring them to the appropriate speciality department of the hospital.

Said Dr Nagendra Swamy, Group Medical Director, Manipal Health Systems said, "Despite the life-saving feats performed every day by emergency departments and ambulance services, the nation's emergency medical system as a whole is overburdened. With newer technologies or protocols and a whole new gamut of understanding on how to handle paediatric emergencies, the time is right to commence a dedicated paediatric emergency unit for the care of our children."

The paediatric emergency room at Manipal Hospital offers a cheerful, child-friendly environment, created to make a child's acute illness treatment as positive as possible. Not just the décor of the emergency room, but the entire environment is sensitive to the unique medical and emotional needs of children. The paediatric emergency room is located on the ground floor of Manipal Hospital. It has a separate entrance, adjacent to the adult emergency room, so that patients and their wards can have quick access to the facility.