Chaos at Kamla Nehru Hospital over transfer of patients
Nine children diagnosed with typhoid and currently undergoing treatment at the pediatric ward of KNH were relocated to NIDH, a facility that is 14 kilometres away
Chaos prevailed at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)-run Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH), Mangalwar Peth on Thursday after the civic body decided to shift the pediatric patients to Naidu Infectious Diseases Hospital (NIDH) in Baner.
Nine children diagnosed with typhoid and currently undergoing treatment at the pediatric ward of KNH were relocated to NIDH, a facility that is 14 kilometres away. However, the parents of the patients strongly opposed the decision which led to chaos at the hospital.
On anonymity, a Senior doctor at the hospital said, “The decision was taken following an order by the Health Department. All these children infected with typhoid live in close vicinity of the KNH. Despite counselling the parents for more than three hours, none of them was ready to shift their children to NIDH. Following which the decision was scrapped and all the patients are undergoing treatment at KNH,” said the doctor.
As per officials, a typhoid outbreak has been reported at the Sadanand Nagar building in close vicinity of KNH. Currently, eight children are undergoing treatment at the KNH, and 12 children have been discharged at the request of their parents.
Dr Prashant Bothe, medical superintendent, KNH said, the decision was taken as typhoid is highly contagious and Naidu Hospital is an infectious diseases hospital.
“As the parents are not ready to shift the children we have decided to create a separate ward for paediatric typhoid patients. The ward will have separate beds with separate toilets to avoid further spread of infection,” he said.
Dr Suryakant Devkar, assistant health officer of PMC, said every new case of typhoid reported in the city will be admitted to the Naidu Hospital.