>WHILE delivering babies is often a straightforward affair for any medical establishment, the National University
Hospital (NUH) gears itself to handle high-risk obstetrics or complicated childbirths too. Ms Arcuri was one example.
Besides NUH's team of highly-trained medical staff being on hand to monitor her closely, the group counselling
and management sessions offered comfort and support.
Prof P.C. Wong says another vital feature of NUH is the co-ordination between its Department of Obstetrics &
Gynaecology and the hospital's neonatal services, especially critical when dealing with premature babies.
With his 27 years of experience, Prof Wong, elaborates: "It was important that we were vigilant with her condition. Perhaps we were lucky that we got her first baby out before her blood pressure shot up. If we had not and she had thrown a fit, it would have spelt trouble."
He maintains: "We obstetricians are doing only one part of the job. With our well-trained neonatal colleagues
at NUH, they are able to take over the caring of very small newborns... We are really lucky to have these two departments working so closely together."
NUH delivers around 2,500 babies annually, of which slightly less than one per cent (around 25) of mothers have severe pre-eclampsia.
This article was first published in tabla! on Dec 5, 2008.
