Two newborns with extreme low weight recovers at Namakkal GH

A team of doctors and healthcare workers here has rescued the lives of two newborn premature babies with extreme low birth weight at the time of birth. District Collector Shreya P. Singh visited the parents and the medical team and congratulated them on the feat.

According to doctors, two newborn premature babies, who were born with extreme low birth weight of 525 grams and 840 grams, were given intensive care treatment at the hospital.

The doctors said that Sadhana, wife of Vignesh of Ganeshpuram, delivered premature twins at a private nursing home in Salem in November 2021. The male child weighed around 720 grams and the girl child weighed about 525 grams. The children were treated for a month at the private hospital and were later shifted to the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at Namakkal GH.

However, despite treatment, the male child died. Shantha Arulmozhi, Dean of the hospital, said that pediatricians and nurses at SNCU were motivated to ensure that the girl child survived. The team gave intensive treatment for the child. Pediatric department head K. Sureshkannan, newborn ward coordination officer D. Kannan and other doctors and healthcare workers constantly monitored the condition of the child. Following treatment, the child’s weight was improved to 1.3 kg from 525 grams.

Similarly, the second male child born to Soundharya, wife of Jeevanandham, at the Namakkal GH in January weighed 840 grams. Through continuous intensive treatment at the hospital, the child’s weight improved to 1.06 kg at the time of discharge.

According to doctors, during a recent check-up at the hospital, the weight of first child has improved to 1.46 kg and second child to 1.18 kg. The children suffered from feed intolerance, sepsis, anaemia, heart ailments and were treated.

The Collector visited the high-risk clinic in the hospital on Thursday and inquired about the health of the children. Ms. Singh said the hospital has achieved a new milestone. A special programme would be conducted at Kolli Hills to treat pregnant women with iron deficiency, she said.