Jharkhand health minister Banna Gupta inaugurated a 27-bed paediatrics intensive care unit (PICU) and a 24-bed high dependency unit (HDU) at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi on Tuesday for “effective” and “affordable” treatment of children who suffer from severe symptoms of Covid-19 during a possible third wave of the pandemic.

The state government, Gupta said, was concerned about the health of children and committed to providing the best possible health facilities to avert possible tragedies during a third wave of Covid-19.

Banna Gupta inaugurated a 27-bed paediatrics intensive care unit (PICU) and a 24-bed high dependency unit (HDU) at Sadar Hospital, Ranchi on Tuesday. Sourced by the correspondent

“Ensuring safety of children is our priority. We are working day and night to strengthen the health infrastructure in our state to ensure that nobody dies due to lack of facilities,” said Gupta, adding that the state was also working on creating an atmosphere wherein doctors from different disciplines and specializations can work as a team for the larger good of the public.

With the inauguration of the intensive care unit at Sadar Hospital, children suffering from severe illnesses will not have to be referred to private hospitals or the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for better treatment, said Gupta.

“We have all the modern facilities in this ICU. Children will now be able to get effective and affordable treatment at Sadar Hospital itself,” he added.

Additional chief secretary Arun Kumar Singh, who accompanied Banna Gupta in Sadar Hospital Sourced by The Telegraph

Additional chief secretary Arun Kumar Singh, who accompanied Gupta in Sadar Hospital, said that besides improving the infrastructure in all the hospitals across Jharkhand, the government is also setting up at least 69 oxygen plants to ensure supply of liquid medical oxygen to hospitals.

It is feared that around 7 lakh of the 1.43 crore population in the age bracket of 0 to 18 years may get affected by Covid-19 in the third wave in Jharkhand. While 2.86 lakh of the patients are likely to be symptomatic, about 8,610 of them may show severe symptoms and need intensive care, an expert committee for tackling the third wave of Covid-19 in Jharkhand has predicted on the basis of trends across the world and in India.

The Jharkhand government had earlier directed each of the 24 districts in the state to set up at least a 20-bed special ICU for children to combat the third wave of the pandemic. An expert committee of doctors and health officials suggested setting up at least 1,000 ICU beds for children in the state. While 500 beds would be set up in government hospitals, the remaining 500 should come up in private facilities, the committee recommended.

These ICUs have colourful interiors and play areas designed to keep children in a better mood during their treatment.