In Maharashtra’s, Alibaug doctors saved a newborn baby’s life after he took the child to a neonatal facility on his two-wheeler after the child had developed respiratory problems minutes after birth.
In the early hours of Friday, Shweta Patil, Alibaug resident developed labour pains and was taken to a nearby nursing home by her husband Ketan amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
For the couple, who had already lost their first child within hours of birth, getting the right care at the right time was important.
Ketan said, “Shweta is a diabetic, and she was immediately put on medication to keep her sugar level under control.”
Considering Shweta’s medical history, the local gynaecologist, who had delivered her first child, called in neonatologist and paediatrician Dr Rajendra Chandorkar for assistance.
Dr Chandorkar said a c-section was performed and a baby boy, weighing 3.1 kg, was delivered with normal parameters.
However, the doctor’s relief was short-lived when the newborn developed breathing problems and turned blue. He said, “The diagnosis was transient tachypnea of the newborn and the baby needed neonatal care urgently.”
With no means of transportation available due to the lockdown, the newborn was taken to Dr Chandorkar’s hospital, which was 1.5 km away, on the doctor’s two-wheeler.
He said, “I admitted the baby to the neonatal intensive care unit and put him on oxygen support and his condition stabilised after 12 hours.”
He said, “It was an overwhelming experience for me. The baby held on to my finger during the examination and I just wanted to assure him that he was safe and will get well soon.”
The coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdown has highlighted the risk taken by health workers who go above and beyond the call of duty to save a patient’s life with limited resources at their disposal.
