The Pediatric Critical Care medicine (PCCM) fellowship program at Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS) is the first such program to train pediatricians in pediatric critical care and address the acute shortage of pediatric intensivist manpower in Nepal. Considering the fact that the pediatric intensivist may need to provide care to critical newborns in most hospitals outside (and some even within) the capital city, this program has a neonatology concentration.

Goals

1. 1. Portable Ultrasound machine: This is an urgent need for the PCCM fellowship. Bedside ultrasonography (POCUS) is the current standard in ICU medicine and is considered the next vital sign. Therefore, in order to complete the training and be effective intensivist, knowledge and practice in bedside ultrasonography is a must.

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1. Books and subscription to online resources.
2. Web meeting access or subscription (e.g., Zoom) for US experts to train and interact with the PCCM fellows.
3. Support for 2 fellows to travel to the US to fill gaps in training, in particular cardiac ICU.

Need

There are less than ten pediatric critical care specialists in Nepal, for almost 40% of Nepal’s total population who are under 18 years of age. Studies have consistently shown that lack of trained manpower may actually increase the morbidity and mortality within pediatric intensive care (PICU) and high dependency care units (HDU), despite the availability of appropriate technology. Thus, there is an astronomical need for developing this specialty in Nepal. COVID pandemic has further elucidated the urgent need, not just for pediatric critical care facilities, but more so for trained pediatric critical care providers.