The state government is ramping up paediatric Covid beds in its hospitals with a special focus on critical care treatment facilities in preparation for a third wave of infections, a senior official in the state health department said on Monday.

Ajay Chakraborty, the director of health services, said doctors and nurses would be trained in dealing with paediatric Covid cases.

A committee of experienced paediatricians has prepared a list of medicines that will be required to treat children suffering from Covid and the government has started the process of procuring them, Chakraborty said.

“We are strengthening the paediatric beds and especially critical care treatment facilities in every district in anticipation of a third wave,” Chakraborty said.

The government will add 284 paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) beds, 109 newborn intensive care unit beds and 160 special newborn care unit (SNCU) beds.

Post-addition, Chakraborty said, government hospitals in the state will have 1,550 critical care unit beds, 528 PICU beds, 270 NICU beds and 2,476 SNCU beds.

Paediatrician Apurba Ghosh welcomed the decision to increase the bed count. “This is a good move because we have fewer paediatric beds than required. But the nurse to patient ratio for paediatric care is 1:1. So, more nurses and doctors will be required if the number of beds is increased,” Ghosh said.