First-of-its-kind in-house Pulverization Department established at Mumbai based Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children which is open for all needy patients in the city. FDA has given special permission and approval after the request from the Hospital. It was inaugurated by Dr Minnie Bodhanwala (CEO), present on the occasion were Dr SS Prabhu (Medical Director), Dr Suhas Pawar (Medical Superintendent), Dr Amjadkhan Pathan (Head Clinical Pharmacology).
Pulverization is the process of reduction of medicine dose as per the need of patients. It means to grinding or crushing medicines into fine particles and then dividing it in the required doses as per the requirement of the patient. This technique will be useful for non-coated tablets. In order to help paediatric patients enhance their quality of life, the hospital has come forward with a great move of opening a Pulverization Department at a minimal cost. A special nano weighing scale is used for the process of dose reduction.
Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, Chief Executive Officer of the Wadia Hospitals, said, “Earlier, patients relative had to be in the queue for 2-3days, for getting the pulverized medicine (dose reduction) from outside facilities. Due to the delayed dose of medicine, many patients had prolonged hospitalization just waiting for the pulverized medicine from outside. After looking into this issue, the hospital decided to start the in house Pulverization department.”
She added, “Now, The FDA has given special permission and approval after the request from Hospital as the paediatric dosage is different from what is recommended to the adults. Usually the medicine dosage are dependent upon the weight of the patient and hence, paediatric patient have very small dosages requirement. Neonatal patients unit also requires nano doses of medicine which is not available in the market. So, the doctor advises reducing the dose into one- forth or one-eight part which is impossible for parents. However, this dose can be reduced by well-qualified pharmacists who can do the Pulverization in the sterile and aseptic areas. The hospital remains at the forefront of the latest technology and promises to give round-the-clock-care to the patients. We are committed to come up with more such helpful initiatives for the benefit of the patients, in the near future too.”
