Pune: Pneumonia Cases Among Children Rise; Sassoon Hospital Strained Due to ICU Shortage at PMC Hospitals

Pune, 8th October 2025: The Paediatrics Department at Sassoon Hospital has appealed to Kamala Nehru Hospital and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College to stop repeatedly sending pediatric patients to their facility. The request comes amid a surge in pediatric cases over the past 15 days, with many children showing symptoms of pneumonia.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College, which is attached to Kamala Nehru Hospital in Mangalwar Peth, currently lacks a full-fledged Paediatrics Department and a separate Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), as mandated by the National Medical Commission. While Kamala Nehru Hospital has a pediatric department and a neonatal ward, it does not have intensive care facilities for older children. As a result, many critically ill children are being transferred to Sassoon Hospital.

Dr. Aarti Kinikar, head of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Sassoon, highlighted the mounting pressure on her department in a letter to the Pune Municipal Corporation. “The existing PICUs and essential equipment in several municipal hospitals are lying unused due to a shortage of doctors. This is causing undue burden on Sassoon Hospital,” she stated.

Responding to the issue, Deputy Chief of Health of the Pune Municipal Corporation, Dr. Kalpana Baliwant, said, “There is no shortage of machinery in municipal hospitals. However, we face a severe shortage of paediatricians. At least nine doctors are needed to keep a pediatric ICU operational 24/7. A proposal for contract-based appointments was submitted in January 2024, but no decision has been made yet.”

Officials have indicated that strengthening pediatric services and establishing fully functional ICUs in municipal hospitals is essential to reduce patient load on Sassoon and ensure timely treatment for critically ill children.