Mahamodara Neonatal Unit to be renovated

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health has decided to completely renovate the Neonatal Unit of the Mahamodara hospital of Galle following several deaths of newborn babies due to unknown bacterial outbreak.

The air conditioning system of the unit will be reinstalled anew and the entire unit will be sterilised again.

The bacterial infection was suspected of spreading through the air conditioning system.

The repair work is to commence following the discharge of the seven babies that are being treated there and it is to take around a month for the repair.

The hospital has suspended new admissions to the unit and the premature babies currently at the hospital have been transferred to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital.

A five-member expert committee appointed by the Director General of Health Services of Sri Lanka recommended temporarily closing the special infant unit after the deaths of 18 babies over a period of a month.

The expert committee has handed the report on the condition of the Neonatal Unit to the Minister of Health last week and another expert team is to visit the Mahamodara Hospital today to further probe the cause for the situation.

(www.colobopage.com)