Agartala, Tripura, November 8 (HBTV): In what appears to be yet another feather in the cap of GB Pant hospital in Tripura's capital Agartala, doctors of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit saved the life of a prematurely delivered baby that was suffering from a rare medical condition called VLBW (Very Low Birth Weight).   

The baby was delivered in the seventh month of gestational age and the weight of the baby was measured to be just 670 gram—much lower than the natural weight a baby gains at this period, senior pediatrician of GBP hospital and Agartala Government Medical College Snjib Debbarma told the media.

Elaborating on the issue, Dr Bibhas Das, who is in charge of the NICU, said, ‘The baby was delivered at Kulai district hospital located at Ambassa. After the delivery, the case was immediately referred to GB Pant hospital as the condition of the newborn was highly sensitive.’ 

‘The baby was immediately admitted to the NICU and put under surveillance of the doctors. The necessary medical interventions required at the moment were made and the baby started to respond. Initially, feeding was started with an OG tube with expressed breast milk. The feeding was later increased on a daily basis and gradually the baby started to gain weight. Today, the weight of the baby stands at 1.6 Kg and both the mother and the newborn have been discharged from hospital.’   

Dr Anup Kumar Saha, the principal of Agartala Government Medical College, said, ‘This should be noted as a big achievement for a state like Tripura. According to reports, Japan has saved an infant with 238 gram of weight. Compared to Japan Tripura's infrastructure is far inferior in standard. The last such case the hospital handled was of a baby that was born with 800 grams of weight.’   

The new mother, Tania Begum, who hails from Kamalpur extended her sincere thanks to the entire medical team of GB Pant hospital. Her husband Saiyed Ahmed is an Islamic cleric. The expense of the whole treatment was borne by the state Government as part of the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram program.