Doctors at Government Rajindra Hospital on Friday have successfully saved the life of a one-day-old baby girl born with a rare congenital defect that had left a major portion of her food pipe (oesophagus) undeveloped, making her unable to swallow milk or even saliva.
Punjab health minister Balbir Singh said the condition posed a severe risk of chest infection and was life-threatening, making immediate surgery necessary. He added that the entire treatment was provided free of cost under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, the minister said the successful surgery reflected the expertise and coordinated efforts of the multi-disciplinary team constituted by the Punjab government to handle complex neonatal surgical emergencies at Rajindra Hospital.
The baby, weighing 2.1 kg, was born through a caesarean section at the hospital on April 20. Her parents, Karan Kumar and Neha, residents of Rajpura, had earlier lost two children during pregnancy, making the birth particularly significant for the family.
Dr Balbir Singh said a team led by paediatric surgeon Dr Ravi Garg, along with Dr Teg Rabab Singh and Dr Sukrit Singh Shah, carried out the critical procedure with support from the anaesthesia team headed by Dr Parmod Kumar, along with Dr Tripat Kaur Bindra and Dr Sumit Soni.
During the surgery, doctors created an opening in the oesophagus through the neck to allow saliva drainage and inserted a feeding tube directly into the baby’s stomach to ensure nutrition support.
The minister said the congenital defect affects nearly one in every 4,500 newborns in India and survival rates remain low. He added that Government Rajindra Hospital had successfully handled such a rare surgery after many years, demonstrating that advanced neonatal surgical care is now available in the government healthcare sector as well.
The baby remained admitted in the NICU for 26 days after surgery and is now recovering, he said. According to the minister, such surgeries in private hospitals, along with prolonged NICU care, could cost between ₹12 lakh and ₹15 lakh, but the treatment was provided completely free of cost under the state government scheme.
