160 Covid positive mothers, 82 newborns; How doctors at SMCH handled child birth during the second wave

Every day in India, according to UNICEF’s latest data, around 67,385 babies are born. According to the Government of Assam’s data, In 2018, birth rate for Assam was 21.1 births per 1000 inhabitants. Birth rate of Assam fell gradually from 27 births per 1000 inhabitants in 1999 to 21.1 births per 1000 inhabitants in 2018.

 

Though the official data for Cachar District is not yet available, it is estimated that around 3,800 babies are born every month in the district. According to the latest data uploaded in Director of Health Services portal, which dates back to 2016, 4127 babies were born in the month of April, 3,927 in May and 3,475 in June. In 2016, 54,351 babies were born in Cachar.

 

This year, in April, the second wave of Coronavirus infections had hit Barak Valley as a Tsunami. Within the span of a couple of weeks, hundreds of patients took admission to the Covid wards of Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH), the only government medical infrastructure in Barak Valley with the capabilities of treating symptomatic patients. For a population of more than 40 lakh, when there in one hospital, it is obvious that the doctors, nurses had to put in extra hours to combat the sudden spike in the number of cases. Many departments were converted as Covid wards, some were combined. However, the mother and child care department continued to function.

“Protocols were put in place to control the spread of virus. The mother was tested with RAT kit on arrival. The ones tested positive were sent in a different zone and the negative ones were put on the usual maternity table. The doctors and staff attending the two sets of patients were different. It was done to ensure that the doctors and staff are not carrying the infection to the negative mothers and newborns from the positive ones,” informed the spokesperson of the Mother and Child Care Unit of Silchar Medical College and Hospital.

 

To understand the importance of Gynaecology or Mother and Child care department, and why it is essential that these departments function properly, one needs to understand the condition of the State believes a doctor practicing at a hospital in Guwahati. He says, the state government and the doctors in association with the district administrations have worked relentlessly to bring down the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) which means death due to pregnancy related complications. “Institutional delivery is key to attain success in lowering mortality rate among pregnant women and that is why, even in Covid times, the maternity wards need to remain open round the clock,” says the retired professor.

NITI Aayog notes Assam as one of the “achievers” when it comes to reducing the MMR. “In just over a decade, Assam has reduced its MMR from 480 to 237–that is a greater than 50% reduction,” NITI Aayog stated recently. The state has also seen a steep increase in the percentage of institutional deliveries (child birth in hospital) which has gone up from 70.6% (2015-16) to 91% in 2019-20. This, in turn, has been one of the contributing factors for a steep decline in MMR (23.67%) and Infant Mortality Rate IMR (6.38%). However, MMR in Assam is still higher than national average of 130 women dying due to pregnancy-related complications out of 1,00,000 live births.

 

Considering the vulnerability, the Principal of Silchar Medical College and Hospital had his special attention on the Mother and Child Care Unit of the hospital. “He would regularly seek data and take stock of the situation. He would also ask for daily, weekly and monthly data on Covid positive cases handled in the maternity ward and if doctors have tested positive,” says a doctor in the department.

 

Since April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021, the Mother and Child Health Hospital has treated 160 COVID positive mothers. 82 delivery cases were handled with mother being positive and out of them, 43 were cesarean sections. Statistics provided by Vice Principal of Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Dr. Bhaskar Gupta reveals that there were two Covid related deaths in the Mother and Child Care department. Two babies have also tested positive after birth. A mother positive for Covid successfully delivered twin babies. Barak Valley saw the peak of the second wave in the month of May, 99 Covid positive mothers were treated in SMCH, reveals the statistics. 53 babies were born in May with their mother positive for Covid. In June, it dropped to 28.

 

The doctors had to come in contact with the mothers and the babies. Though they took necessary precautions, they could not escape the infection. Associate Professor, Dr. Arun Paul Choudhary, Dr. Mubarak All, Dr. Kashmira Ghose, Dr. Harita Kannan, Dr. Ramchandra Rongpher tested positive for Covid 19 during the second wave while on duty.

 

“The doctors and the team at Mother and Child Health Care Hospital of Silchar Medical College and Hospital has done a fantastic job throughout the pandemic,” said Dr. Babul Bezbaruah, Principal of SMCH. He adds, “They have treated patients with utmost caution and sincerity. Hats off to team MCH at SMCH.”

 

A separate building helped in restricting the contamination among newborns believe experts. The Mother and Child Health Care Hospital in SMCH was inaugurated in 2017 by then Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the presence of former deputy speaker, Dilip Paul.