UP hospital launches special drive for pregnant women during lockdown

The Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, one of the frontline hospitals in western Uttar Pradesh for testing and treating coronavirus patients, has launched a special drive for regular monitoring of pregnant women during the lockdown. It includes round-the-clock helpline service and counseling for such patients.

Professor Tamkeen Khan, chairperson, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, said for women in advanced stages of pregnancy, the ongoing lockdown has an added dimension of anxiety related to non-specific fears of coronavirus pandemic.

“The fallout of this factor is yet to be evaluated by health experts. During such times, constant monitoring of different health parameters of pregnant women is necessary,” the official said.

Khan said the World Health Organisation (WH0) and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) have prepared an extensive advisory for all such patients and the JN Medical College hospital has fully integrated this advisory in its ongoing program.

Elaborating on the steps taken by the hospital in this regard, the official said a special outdoor monitoring facility has been set up for pregnant women besides a new operation theatre for gynecological procedures so as to prevent infection among women during pregnancy and also in newborns.

“This also includes a regimen for testing coronavirus positive cases and also suspected cases,” Khan added.