Facility assessment of neonatal intensive care units of urban Allahabad

Abstract

Background: During the last decade there has been a phenomenal growth of neonatal intensive care units in the country, especially in the corporatized health care sector and to a lesser extent in public sector health care facilities. Sick & premature newborn requiring specialized hospital care dies because facilities and skills required for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are usually unavailable. This study was conducted with an objective to assess the facility i.e. Neonatal Intensive Care Units, both public & private sector, in urban Allahabad. Methods: The present study was conducted in the Newborn Intensive Care Units of Government and Private settings of urban Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh during the year 2015-2016. For the conduction of study, the factors were classified as Neonatal Factors and Health facility based i.e. NICU factors, which could influence the survival outcome of the neonates. The assessment of Facility was done on the basis of standards as suggested in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines. Results: Both the public & private sectors had the availability of 24 hour newborn services, which included 24 hour availability of pediatricians and nurses, facility for resuscitation, thermal care and breastfeeding support services. The present study reported asepsis score of 9 and 8 in Government and Private sectors respectively. The private sectors had better nurse bed ratio and low bed occupancy i.e. low patient load as compared to the government sector. The services, asepsis practices, equipments & drugs are comparable. Conclusion: The study revealed poor human resources (doctor: bed ratio & nurse: bed ratio) as against the recommended standards for intensive care for neonates. So, the recruitment of human resources is recommended.