Jammu: The old adage, 'Doctors are second to God'—was proved by a team of doctors at Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital here when they helped a new-born baby girl, weighing barely 450 grams, survive after 100 days of extensive care.
"The baby was born premature (six months of pregnancy), had weighed only 450 grams at the time birth," said a doctor, adding that the mother's love forced the doctors to strive and save the tiny precious life.
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"After nearly 100 days of round the clock care, the baby was finally safe and healthy and was handed over to the parents," the doctor said.
"It was not less than a miracle we have seen with open eyes and now the child is weighing 1.42-kg with all normal activities and healthy organs," he said.
Father Iqbal says his wife Devia had a premature delivery in six months and she had delivered twins in a nursing home.
"One of the babies could not be saved but we shifted the other to SMGS hospital along with mother and from day one, the team of doctors collectively worked day and night and helped her survive," he stated.
Dr Ghanshyam Saini, Head of the Hospital's Pediatrics Department, here told UNI that it was nothing short of a challenge. "After placing the little angel in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Neonatal ICU), the entire team of experts started treating her. The baby was kept there for hundred days under extensive care," he said.
The team under the supervision of Principal Govt Medical College Jammu Dr Shashi Sudan, in presence of Medical superintendent Dr Manoj Chalotra and HOD paediatrics Dr Ghanshyam Saini, lauded the Department of Pediatrics for achieving this rare feat.
"This case gives hope to thousands of parents with high risk pregnancies and subsequent risk of prematurity as most of the times babies born before 26 weeks are not even given a chance to fight for their survival. Delivering a baby at a government tertiary care hospital with fully equipped infrastructure and atenatal preparedness increase the chances of survival manifold," said Dr Anumodan Gupta, neonatologist at the Hospital.
The youngest child to survive in India is Mumbai boy born at 22 weeks weighing 620gms.The smallest is Hyderabad born girl weighing 375 grams at 25 weeks.
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