A paediatric panel has urged the Centre to earmark 10 per cent of Covid-19 intensive care unit beds for children, while asserting that there is no evidence to suggest that an anticipated “third wave” would be harder on kids than the earlier waves.
The 14-member panel has recommended nationwide augmentation of paediatric care facilities through increase in beds, equipment and medications, training to enhance healthcare staff skills, and expanding telemedicine services amid concerns about gaps in paediatric critical care.
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It has also called on the government to reserve 20 per cent of general Covid-19 ward beds for children and to add ICU beds in non-Covid paediatric wards to manage cases of post-Covid multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in any future surges.