Preparedness, administrative challenges for establishing obstetric services, and experience of delivering over 400 women at a tertiary care COVID‐19 hospital in India

• Published in: International journal of gynecology and obstetrics 2020-11, Vol.151 (2), p.188-196
• Main Authors: Mahajan, Niraj N., Pednekar, Rahi, Patil, Sarika R., Subramanyam, Alka A., Rathi, Surbhi, Malik, Sushma, Mohite, Shailesh C., Shinde, Ganesh, Joshi, Mohan, Kumbhar, Padmaja, Tilve, Arundhati, Lokhande, Pradip D., Srivastava, Shayla A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administrative challenges; Adult; Betacoronavirus - isolation & purification; Cesarean; Clinical; Coronavirus; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - therapy; COVID-19; COVID‐19 disease; Dedicated COVID‐19 facility; Delivery, Obstetric - methods; Female; Humans; India - epidemiology; Infection Control - methods; Infection Control - standards; Maternity; Organizational Innovation; Pandemics; Perinatal Care - organization & administration; Perinatal Care - trends; Personal protective equipment; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - therapy; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - epidemiology; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - therapy; Pregnancy Outcome; SARS-CoV-2; Tertiary Healthcare - methods; Tertiary Healthcare - organization & administration
• ISSN: 0020-7292; 1879-3479
• DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.13338

Objective To provide a descriptive account of the challenges and administrative preparedness for establishing and sustaining safe obstetric services during the COVID‐19 pandemic at Topiwala National Medical College & BYL Nair Charitable Hospital (NH), Mumbai, India. Methods The management of pregnant women with COVID‐19 was implemented as per international (WHO, RCOG, ACOG) and national (Indian Council of Medical Research) recommendations and guidelines at an academic, tertiary care, COVID‐19 hospital in India. Results Using a multidisciplinary approach and active engagement of a multispecialty team, obstetric services were provided to over 400 women with laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19. A sustainable model is established for providing services to pregnant women with COVID‐19 in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India. Conclusion With limited resources, it is possible to set up dedicated maternity services, aligned to international guidelines, for safe pregnancy outcomes in COVID‐19 settings. This COVID‐19 hospital addressed the challenges and implemented several known and novel methods to establish and sustain obstetric services for women with COVID‐19. The model established in the present study can be replicated in other low‐ and middle‐income countries. A sustainable model is established using a multidisciplinary approach for providing obstetric services to over 400 women with COVID‐19 in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India.