Demand for NICU at SRMMCH

Bhawanipatna: Shaheed Rendo Majhi Medical College and Hospital, which has emerged as a key healthcare institution in Kalahandi district, is currently functioning from the district headquarters hospital. Since its upgradation to a medical college, several improvements have been made in healthcare services.

Despite persistent challenges such as a shortage of doctors and staff, the hospital caters not only to Kalahandi district but also to parts of Chhattisgarh’s Deobhog area, Nabarangpur, Bolangir, as well as Rayagada and Kandhamal districts.

Thousands of people from these areas depend on this hospital for treatment. The hospital has earned a reputation as a reliable healthcare centre in western Odisha, offering services in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, medicine and other departments. While there has been noticeable progress in diagnostics and treatment facilities, the obstetrics department presently has only a Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU). However, in cases of premature births, low birth weight babies and critically ill newborns, the absence of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) poses a serious challenge.

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Due to the lack of advanced NICU facilities, many pregnant women, new mothers and critically ill newborns are forced to travel to distant cities such as Burla, Cuttack, Berhampur or Bhubaneswar. Private hospitals offering such facilities are often beyond the financial reach of poor families, depriving them of timely and life-saving neonatal care. In view of this situation, there has been a strong demand for the establishment of a Level-III or IV NICU with advanced facilities at Shaheed Rendo Majhi Medical College and Hospital.

Journalist and social activist, and President of Lanjigarh Press Club, Sushil Kumar Bag, has drawn the attention of the state government to this pressing issue. He has written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Health Minister Dr Mukesh Mahaling, urging immediate steps to set up a full-fledged NICU at the facility.