First Covid care centre for children in Telangana comes up in Khammam

A 40-bed facility equipped with ventilators was inaugurated on Wednesday.

Khammam: The first ever Covid Care Centre for children in the State has come up at District Headquarters Hospital’s Maternal and Child Health (MCH) wing in Khammam. Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar along with the Hospital Development Committee Chairman, Lingala Kamalaraj and District Collector, RV Karnan, inaugurated the 40-bed facility on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said there were news reports that children might be affected in the third wave of the pandemic, and hence, the first Covid care centre exclusively for children was established here. It is equipped with 40 ventilators.

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The State government was giving priority for quality health care to poorer sections and improved infrastructure facilities at government hospitals. Khammam District Hospital which was upgraded to a 550-bed hospital was high on the charts in providing Covid care in the State, the Minister said.

Until 2015, there were no oxygen beds at the hospital but now there are 300 oxygen beds. As many as 35 ventilators, 15 High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) machines, 10 Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines and 30 multiparameters available at the hospital, Ajay Kumar said.

Similarly, the hospital was equipped with 10 cardiology units, and 10 nephrology units besides a 13, 000 litre capacity liquid oxygen plant to treat the patients. Oxygen beds and Remdesivir injections made available at Community Health Centres at Sathupalli, Madhira and Penuballi.

The Covid positive cases were on the decline in Khammam district. As many as eight lakh houses were covered in two phases of door to door fever survey. Private hospitals which were permitted to treat Covid patients should serve the patients with service mindedness, the minister said.

Collector Karnan informed that during the door to door fever survey it was found that as many as 200 children below 10 years of age were found to be suffering from Covid symptoms. The children’s Covid care centre was equipped with ICU and oxygen support along with oxygen concentrators.

SUDA Chairman, B Vijay Kumar, Mayor, P Neeraja, Dy. Mayor, Shaik Fathima Zohara, MLC B Lakshminarayana, DM&HO, Dr. B Malathi, hospital Superintendent Dr. B Venkateshwarlu and RMO Dr. B Srinivas Rao were present.