Mortality rises due to faulty air-conditioners of NICH nursery

KARACHI, June 09, 2011 (PPI): The air-conditioning system of the nursery of National Institute of Child Health (NICH) has developed faults for a couple of weeks and resultantly mortality rate of babies admitted to this critical unit is on the rise.

Sources said there are more than 20 air-conditions in the nursery; however, they are not working for last two weeks causing high temperature inside the nursery. Due to high temperature and spread of infections three to six babies are dying daily. Sadly, the air-condition machines in the offices of administration bosses are fully functional and running.

The sources said that the nursery of NICH, the biggest childcare hospital of the city, is situated at the sixth floor of the hospital. It houses forty incubators and four ventilators. There are more than twenty air-conditions fitted in the unit to control its temperature and stop spread of infections. They said some of the air-conditioners went out of order and some units were reputedly stolen. They said now the facility is running without air-condition facility and its windows are opened which bring dust and infections inside this highly critical unit. Resultantly, 3 to 6 children are dying every day due to different infections and extreme heat.

Some parents told PPI that their ailing babies had to brave high temperature. They said after non-working of air conditioners doctors and nurses generally avoid sitting in the hot nursery and prefer passing their time in nearby cool wards and offices. They added that when they protest over absence of doctors and nurses they are asked to take their babies to some private hospital.

Prof Jamal Raza, Executive Director of the hospital, when contacted, told PPI that output units of air-conditions are not stolen but most of them are out of order and the hospital does not have sufficient funds to get them fixed as hospital has not received budget yet. He appealed the philanthropists to help the hospital in getting air-conditions repaired.

It was observed that air-conditioners in offices of Executive Director, Deputy Director, senior doctors and different NGOs were fully functional.