Rafida Khatun with her baby
Dumka: Doctors at the special newborn care unit (SNCU) at the Sadar hospital in Sahibganj saved an extremely low birth weight (ELBW) baby after 55 days of intensive care, overcoming multiple life-threatening challenges, health officials said on Wednesday.Born to Rafida Khatun on March 17 with just 30 weeks of gestation, the baby boy weighed only 780 grams — far below the normal average of around 3 kg — making survival chances extremely slim.Doctors said the baby was highly vulnerable to infections due to an underdeveloped immune system, required constant monitoring to stabilise breathing and body temperature, and needed carefully calibrated nutrition to ensure gradual weight gain without complications.“The biggest challenges were preventing infections, maintaining stable vital parameters and ensuring consistent weight gain in such a fragile newborn,” said paediatrician Dr Farog Hasan.Under the supervision of civil surgeon Dr Ramdev Paswan and deputy superintendent Dr Devesh Kumar, the SNCU team led by Dr Hasan, Dr Ashutosh Kumar and in-charge Rajesh Kumar Yadav provided round-the-clock care.To address the risks, the team adopted a “cluster care” approach — minimising handling of the baby while integrating medical treatment, nursing support and nutrition management.“The baby was admitted on the day of birth and remained under specialised care for nearly two months. On May 12, the infant was discharged in stable condition, weighing 1,210 grams,” said Dr Kumar.Doctors also highlighted feeding as a major hurdle, as the newborn was unable to breastfeed initially and required sustained orogastric feeding support (insertion of a flexible tube through the mouth and into the stomach).The hospital complemented clinical care with family participatory care (FPC) sessions, training Khatun in hygiene, feeding techniques and newborn handling to reduce post-discharge risks.Dr Paswan termed the recovery a “proud moment” for the health system. “The Sahibganj SNCU has given our baby a second chance at life,” said Khatun.
