Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : December 2, 2014 3:38 PM IST
The newly inaugurated Kohinoor Hospital in Kurla, Mumbai, has started an innovative service called Maternity ward on wheels to address the needs of high-risk pregnancies. The initiative was taken after doctors observed that there was an increase in the number of high-risk pregnancies in recent times. According to an experimental survey done by the hospital, about 25 percent of total pregnancies registered with them were catagorised as high-risk. Late marriages and pregnancy beyond 35 leads to various risks and complications. With advancing age, when a woman plans a late pregnancy she might be suffering from other health related diseases that increases the overall risk of pregnancy, says Dr. Ganpat Sawant, Consultant Gynaecologist, Kohinoor Hospital. Know why pregnancy after 30 is not favorable.
Out of these cases, severe anemia was found to be the reason in 40% cases, followed by Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH or high blood pressure) in about 30% cases. Advanced maternal age (due to late marriage and subsequent late conception) was cited as the third major reason (10%) for high-risk pregnancies. The other causes of high-risk pregnancies included bleeding after delivery (PPH), pre-term labour, twin births and heart disease. Out of all the high-risk cases, about 2% to 3% women die during child birth. Know how to plan a pregnancy with a heart disease.
How will 'maternity ward on wheels' help?
Maternity mobile delivery unit is designed to safely transport patients with high-risk pregnancies to the hospital. The mobile unit is custom-built to manage a high-risk pregnancy while on the road and is fitted with an incubator, delivery tray and other appropriate equipment. It has a paramedic along with an obstetrician and gynecologist dedicated to the service.
Here are a few tips to avoid high-risk pregnancy:
If you fall under the high-risk pregnancy category, here are few signs you should be watchful of:
To avail 'maternity wards on wheels' service, dial the emergency number 022-67556766 when in need.
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