In Chennai, this government healthcare institution has been serving pregnant women for 145 years Premium

Government RSRM Lying-in Hospital in Royapuram provides essential maternity care to hundreds of pregnant women daily in north Chennai.

Every day, hundreds of pregnant women walk into a 145-year-old institution in Royapuram for their antenatal check ups, deliveries and postnatal care. This is the Government Raja Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliar (RSRM) Lying-in Hospital in Royapuram, a health facility that needs no introduction to residents in and around north Chennai.

One of the three major government maternity hospitals in Chennai, RSRM hospital receives pregnant women from the five zones of north Chennai - Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Tondiarpet and Royapuram as well as from the northern suburbs of the city. The hospital also receives pregnant women, including those who are critically ill, from some areas in Andhra Pradesh as well as migrant workers in Chennai, doctors say.

According to Shanthi K. Elango, superintendent of the hospital, around 350 pregnant women visit the hospital’s outpatient department a day, while about 75 to 100 are admitted daily. “We conduct 30 to 40 deliveries a day. So, in a month, the average number of deliveries conducted reaches 800 to 900,” she says. Of the total deliveries conducted, caesarean sections account for 25 to 30%.

The hospital treats a high percentage of high-risk pregnant women. In a recent case, a 29-year-old woman, who had conceived by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and was five months pregnant, was referred with complaints of abdominal pain for six hours. She had a history of surgery in the uterus for fibroids, twice, 10 months before IVF. She was received in shock with a ruptured uterus and intrauterine death. As a lifesaving procedure, the uterus was removed and 13 units of blood products were transfused. Her condition improved, and she was discharged, doctors said.

In another case, doctors treated a six months pregnant woman who came in with a fever, cough and cold, and was diagnosed to have malaria. She suffered acute respiratory distress syndrome and was put on ventilatory support for three days. She received an artesunate injection and was discharged on recovery.

The hospital’s infrastructure is expanding now. The total bed capacity is increasing to a little over 800. While the existing building has 510 beds, a new Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care building with an additional 300 beds is coming up at the hospital, she adds.

The hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology team has six professors, one associate professor and 12 assistant professors. Associated with RSRM Hospital for nearly a quarter of a century, Dr. Shanthi Elango said that maternal and child care comes with a great responsibility. “When a baby is delivered, that minute is a happy moment for all those who are connected with the family. While it is emotional for patients and their families, as doctors, it comes with a huge responsibility as we need to ensure that the mother and baby are safe. Timely decision making is critical as that helps doctors to saves lives,” she says.