Gleneagles Global Health City Sets Up a Paediatric Covid-19 Task Force

22^nd July, 2021, Chennai: Gleneagles Global Health City (GGHC), a leading multi-speciality centre in Chennai, has launched an exclusive task force to handle the complex group of paediatric patients. With the anticipation of a third wave of Covid-19, GGHC is prepared to handle the most vulnerable patient population as they are not vaccinated yet.

The multi-disciplinary team of doctors in the task force are experienced General Paediatricians, Neonatologists, and Paediatric Intensivists working along with in-house Consultants in Paediatric sub-specialties such as Infectious Disease, Cardiology, Haematology and Rheumatology. The task force at GGHC is headed by Dr Perumal Karnan, Senior Consultant & Clinical Lead – Department of Paediatrics along with Dr Shreela Sherine Pauliah, Senior consultant – Department of Neonatology, Dr Mohan Babu Kasala, Consultant – Paediatric Intensivist, Dr Ponni Sivaprakasam, Senior consultant – Paediatric Haematologist and Dr J Rajkumar, Consultant- Paediatric Infectious Diseases.

The task force has acknowledged that this group of patient population are special as they can range from new born who are born to COVID-19 positive mothers to children up to 18 years of age having variable presentation including post-COVID immunological problems. Some children may develop severe inflammation affecting various organs of the body called MIS-C, which may occur at least 4 to 6 weeks after initial exposure to COVID-19. These children will need medical expertise, early intervention and close monitoring to avoid deaths. Such cases need to be delicately handled at a fully equipped center where formulated Standard Operating Procedures and guidelines as per Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) recommendations are adhered to provide the best possible care.

Leading the task force, Dr. Perumal Karnan, Senior Consultant & Clinical Lead – Department of Paediatrics, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai said, “After the 2^nd wave, we have gathered some insights about the management strategies ahead of the 3^rd wave. Most children with Covid-19 remain well but few may develop severe disease affecting one or more organs of the body. There are few high risk children such as – patients with diabetes, obesity and immune deficiency. Those who develop severe disease will need a multidisciplinary team approach with experts from various specialties. To deal with these complex case scenario, we have formed a task force comprising of experts from various specialties who are involved in providing wholesome care to the child. Recently, we had faced challenging situations where babies presented with symptoms of shock, low blood pressure, and fast heart rate and breathing difficulty. With appropriate supportive care, most children recover completely. We have a dedicated paediatric intensive care unit with specially trained staffs, well-equipped to deal with the potential third wave.”

“The 2^nd wave of Covid-19 had been hard on us in terms of disease burden, lack of preparedness and huge shortage of resources. Though the chance of 3^rd wave and children being more affected is more of a prediction than a reality, being prepared for it is the way forward. We at GGHC have started working on it. We are framing our protocols, training people, strengthening our infrastructure and building up on our resources. This is to ensure that we handle children in a better way and improve clinical outcomes. We have also planned a ‘family centric’ approach where we take care of the kids and their parents simultaneously” said Dr. J Rajkumar, Consultant – Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai.

Speaking on the launch of the task force, Dr. Alok Khullar, CEO – Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai, said, “Experiencing the challenges of the sudden spike in the second wave motivated us to pre-emptively prepare for a possible third wave. We have formed a Paediatric task force to tackle paediatric cases. The task force consists of doctors from across a wide range of paediatric specialties that will only focus on pediatric covid care. We have excellent evidence-based protocols in place to ensure that all our patients get to experience world-class treatment and excellent clinical outcomes.”

About Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai:

Gleneagles Global Health City at Perumbakkam – Sholinganallur, Chennai is one of India’s most renowned multi-organ transplant centre. It’s also one of the top tertiary care multi-speciality hospitals in the city with path-breaking Liver, Neuro, Heart, Lung and Kidney procedures to its credit and legacy. The NABH, NABL and NABB accredited hospital operates 200+ beds. A modern CathLab, 13 operation theatres, advanced imaging services (Trubeam STX, Slice PET CT and Tesla MRI) offer cutting edge emergency and critical care management following internationally approved clinical protocols.

Over 10 years of clinical excellence has earned the hospital tie-ups with all major cashless health insurance players and is the preferred choice hospital by all major corporates in the city. The hospital is an international medical destination for thousands of patients in India, Middle East, Africa and SAARC nations. The hospital also offers VideoConsult services to its patients in India and abroad.

Gleneagles Global Health City is a part of IHH Healthcare, one of the world’s largest healthcare providers. With its full spectrum of integrated services, dedicated people, reach and scale, and commitment to quality and safety, IHH aspires to be the world’s most trusted healthcare services network, united by a single purpose: to touch lives and transform care. More information on Gleneagles Global Health City can be found at hospital website.

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For further information, kindly contact

Akriti Gupta | 8754940305 | [email protected]

Sushma Mathen | 9962715769 | [email protected]