October 10th marked First Neonatal Surgery in Jaintia Hills region after 50 years of statehood

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 20, 2022

October 10th, 2022 is a red letter day in the history of medical treatment in Jaintia Hills region when the First Neonatal Surgical operation was carried out for three day old baby who received a new lease of life as the operation was successful in one of the leading private hospitals in the region.

The scripting of the red letter day started when a three day old baby born to Merry June delivered at Jowai Civil Hospital in Ialong village was diagnosed with a rare medical condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) on October 7th this year.

“Congenital diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) occurs when there is a hole in the diaphragm, which is the thin sheet of muscle separating the chest from the abdomen. When this gap forms during a fetus’s development in the womb, the bowel, stomach or even the liver can move into the chest cavity.

Organs in the abdomen (such as intestines, stomach, and liver) can move through the hole in the diaphragm and upwards into a baby’s chest. When an organ pushes through the hole, it is called a hernia. A diaphragmatic hernia can prevent the baby’s lungs from developing completely, causing breathing difficulties for the baby at birth.”

Due to lack of specialists and equipment in the said hospital, the medical & health officers posted in Jowai Civil Hospital immediately referred the three day old child to higher centre with a ventilator availability.

The baby was shifted to Woodland WK Hospital located in Sabahmuswang, which is the nearest hospital to Jowai Civil Hospital.

Notably, ventilators were indented in 2021 for utilization during COVID pandemic in COVID Hospital housed in the building of the non-functional Maternal & Child Hospital located in Panaliar, Jowai. The ventilators have not been utilized for the past several months.

On admission of the three days old baby in Woodland WK Hospital, Dr Snigdha Pathak who is the paediatrician of the hospital placed the baby under the specialized care unit known as NICU.

The condition of the baby improved within three days of admission and a decision was taken for carrying out the vital operation to save the life of the baby.

On October 10th this year, a team of medical experts was formed under the leadership of Dr. Peter Daniel S Khariong, Paediatric surgeon and aided by anaesthetist Dr Sharon Rymbai and Dr Debashish Das and Operation staff Br Jibon Roy Syngkon and Sr Deimaya Pde.

After a few hours of operation, the operation team was successful to repair the hernia and the baby was shifted to NICU for observation and care.

On the first day post operation day itself, the baby was taken off the ventilator and by the second day, the baby was breathing normally and shifted to baby room.

The baby was breastfed from second day post operation and by fifth day that is October 15, this year the baby was discharged in a healthy condition.

Remarkably this is the First Neonatal Surgical Care case in Jaintia Hills region and the baby is the youngest patient to be operated at Woodland WK Hospital.

Since inception on 15th September 2020 Woodland WK Hospital under the leadership of Dr Werlok Kharshiing, the hospital has been focused on delivering quality patient care at an affordable price, especially for the people of Jaintia Hills region.