VELLORE: The Government Vellore Medical College Hospital (GVMCH)has established a ‘Child-Friendly’ pediatric ward as part of the 500 wards covered under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
The 20-bed facility was inaugurated by the district collector, R Nanthagopal on Wednesday. The collector, after inaugurating the ward, took a round tour of the facility in the hospital.
“This approach creates a friendly and healthy atmosphere for the children to recover fast,” noted the collector while complimenting Dr Theranirajan, head of the Department of Pediatrics who initiated the venture.
The walls of the fully air-conditioned ward have colourful cartoons, tiny chairs for children to relax, toilet facilities, facilities for parents, nursing stations, separate enclosures for children to play, safe drinking water, ample lighting, besides being equipped with all life-saving and state of the art equipment.
Each ward will also have one manager and two housekeepers.
Important information for parents on vaccination schedules, right food and diet, breast feeding, child development tips have been displayed at the facility as well.
Dr Theranirajan said that he got the inspiration to create this ward from his stint in Malaysia where he had worked for five years between 2004 and 2009.
“The concept is to make sick children feel better with the right ambience. Besides treatment they would not feel that they are in a hospital. This has been found to improve their health much faster,” he noted.
The GVMCH has been introducing many new and innovative facilities with the help of the insurance scheme.
A 20-bedded Neonatal Intensive care unit and a 10-bedded Pediatric Intensive Care Unit have been established with Rs 1.8 crore worth of equipment in the wards, according to the insurance nodal officer Dr Parthasarathy.