New 6-bed ICU brings specialised lung care for children to RML Hospital

NEW DELHI: A 6-bed intensive care unit dedicated to children with serious lung and breathing problems opened at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences & Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, offering specialised treatment that was not available earlier in Delhi’s govt hospitals.

The ICU was inaugurated on Friday by hospital director Dr Ashok Kumar in the presence of medical superintendent Dr Vivek Diwan and senior doctors. Officials said this was the first time a Delhi govt hospital had a separate ICU focused only on paediatric lung diseases.

Dr Dinesh Kumar, HOD Pediatrics, explained that children with genetic, congenital and severe respiratory conditions often need close monitoring, ventilator support and advanced tests. Until now, such children were treated in general paediatric ICUs. The new 6-bed unit will allow doctors to provide focused care under 1 roof.

The Paediatric Pulmonology Division at RML Hospital was approved by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2019. It already has facilities such as a bronchoscopy lab, sleep lab and a special clinic for childhood lung diseases. With the ICU now functional, treatment for critically ill children is expected to become quicker and more organised.

Dr Hema Gupta Mittal, who heads the Paediatric Pulmonology Division, said the new ICU will benefit children from Delhi as well as neighbouring states in north India. She added that it will also improve training and hands-on experience for postgraduate medical students.

Hospital officials said the 6-bed ICU is an important step towards strengthening specialised paediatric care in the public health system, especially for children with life-threatening lung conditions.