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In Pakistan, one in six babies born is premature. Preterm, low birth weight and newborns with serious complications are more likely to survive if they have immediate access to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Karachi, with a population of 20 million, requires at least 600 ventilated NICU beds for premature babies to have a better chance at life. However, only 30 ventilator beds are available at 11 institutes across the city, including AKUH.
AKUH has the only comprehensive NICU in the city, providing the highest levels of intensive care to babies born at the Hospital. The current facility is usually full with a growing number of requests being turned away. The University Hospital initiated the expansion of NICU in response to this shortage in the number of beds.
Donor support has enabled the University Hospital to:
Increase the number of beds from 12 to 24 and treat more babies annually
Make available intensive care incubators, ventilators and specialised equipment which will increase chances of survival
Develop a training and research centre working to improve neonatal care and outcomes
Project Cost:
Total Cost: US$ 2 million (PKR 200 million)
