Jharkhand readies for Covid third wave; sets dedicated child wards, PICUs

Ranchi: Jharkhand sets up special facilities for children as the state prepares for the anticipated third wave of coronavirus.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren is personally monitoring every development and issuing the directive to the concerned officials.

''Our government will not leave any stone unturned to create the best possible health infrastructure for our people and children. The third wave is anticipated but the government is preparing itself in advance to fight against the new wave. The second wave was a lesson for us; it helped us find the loopholes in our health facilities. But, this time we are preparing ourselves in advance," said Soren.

As per the reports, 20 beds Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) are being established in every district across the state.The Chief Minister has directed the officials to establish child-friendly ICU beds in the government hospitals at the earliest.

The Chief Minister has also directed the officials to equip child wards with modern medical equipment so that patients in rural areas to be able to access the best possible and free of cost treatment in their locality.

Apart from general child wards, dedicated child wards are also being developed. These wards are equipped with infant ventilators, paediatric ventilators, Bubble CPAP, Radiant warmers, Oxygen supply facility and other necessary facilities.

Interestingly, the PICU wards are being painted with different kinds of child-friendly paintings.

The curtains, bed sheets and covers used in PICU wards are colourful and attractive to create a comfortable environment for children. Walls have been painted with illustrations of cartoon characters. Apart from this, to create a stress-free environment for children, television sets are being installed, a dedicated play area is being created in the courtyard and galleries of wards. Bookshelves are also being installed to keep multiple storybooks and other learning materials.

Each district administration started working on the development of a dedicated child ward. Many districts have already completed the development of at least one such facility and are in the process of developing other units in rural areas. Districts like Koderma, Ranchi, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Gumla, Latehar, Giridih have already completed the work related to the PICUs.