Mumbai Hospital Carries Out Deliveries Of 1,001 Coronavirus-Infected Mothers Amid Pandemic

Mumbai: Even as COVID-19 deaths continue to dominate the headlines, a civic-run hospital in south Mumbai has successfully delivered babies of 1,001 COVID-19 patients amid the pandemic, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Tuesday (May 4). As per a release issued by the civic body, B Y L Nair Hospital achieved this milestone due to the efforts of three departments namely obstetrics, neonatal and paediatrics, and anaesthesiology.

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Nair hospital, which was declared as a dedicated COVID-19 hospital in April 2020, had first delivered the baby of a patient on April 14, last year, and since then 1,000 infected mothers have successfully given birth to 1,022 infants, including a set of triplets and 19 pairs of twins, the release stated.

Of the 1,001 deliveries in the hospital in the last one year, 599 were normal births, while 402 were caesarean deliveries, it was stated. Doctors, nurses, ward boys and other staffers from the three departments worked tirelessly for hours, wearing uncomfortable PPE kits to carry out deliveries of infected mothers, it said, adding that the departments of obstetrics, neonatal and paediatrics has around 75 staffers each.

The COVID-19 infection is not congenital. Even if the mother is infected with coronavirus, the baby does not get the infection. However, it can be transmitted through contact with the mother after birth, said Dr Sushma Malik of Nair Hospital.

As per medical protocol, newborns are administered COVID-19 test if their mothers are infected. In the last one year, several newborns had tested positive, but they had no symptoms. However, they were discharged from the hospital only after they tested negative, the release said. According to the release, a scientific documentation about the safe delivery of such a high number of infected mothers at the hospital is in progress.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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