CHENNAI: Five-year-old Saipriya and 11-year-old Keerthana are so engrossed in playing that they hardly realise it is time for them to go back home. Their mother, Mareeshwari, is also very happy and does not want to disturb the children. She says they never leave Stanley Medical College Hospital without playing at least for half an hour after their autism therapy ends.
Walking into the recently-renovated District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) for children located on the second floor of the Institute of Social Paediatrics will make it clear that it is a place where treatment exists alongside fun. Like Saipriya and Keerthana, hundreds of children have fun at the centre, which was re-opened a few weeks ago.
It houses swings, rocking chairs and word games in thebackdrop of walls decorated with cartoons. It also has tunnel games, trampoline, dynamic LED lightings and big televisions screens to play cartoons. The walls are also painted with word games and other puzzles like ‘Find the Differences’ of two pictures and jumbled alphabets.
“It is a big relief for me to see my children play happily, especially at a place where they come for therapy. Sometimes, play equipment are used even during treatment, which makes them feel so comfortable,” says Mareeshwari, a resident of Royapuram.
Sponsored by the State government and the National Health Mission under the Rasthriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, the renovation was done two years after DEIC was opened at the hospital. The centre treats children for disabilities and development delay, birth defects, deficiency disorder and childhood disease.
Makeover that makes the kids smile
DR Manoj Kumar, assistant professor, pediatrics, in-charge of DEIC, said, “DEIC was initially opened on a small premises, which looked like any other hospital ward. Later, doctors, including Dean P Balaji, gave inputs and we decided to revamp the centre into a 5,000-square-foot facility. The renovation was completed by this September,” he said.
The centre, Dr Kumar said, has facilities like audiology room for speech therapy, special education room for treating intellectual disabilities, vision room for correcting refractive error and sensory integration room which deals with issues related to the body’s senses.
“Children with sensory processing disorders, autism and ADHD are given therapy at SIR by stimulating each of the seven special senses,” he said. According to doctors, over 12,000 children have visited DEIC so far and, about 40 children come with various problems to centre every day. “We have also done 65-70 heart surgeries, 30 cleft/lip palate surgeries and many other minor surgeries,” Dr Kumar added.
The centre also offers physiological counselling, assessments for anaemia, malnutrition, and intervention such as neuro-development therapy for cerebral palsy, dental treatment and occupational therapy for autism. It also has facility to record ECG and ECHO.
Head of Department of Pediatrics Dr J Ganesh said, “Private facilities charge children several thousands, here, the children get it free of cost.” Stating that the centre offers treatment on par with any private facility, Dean Dr P Balaji said the credit goes to the pediatrics department and doctors.
Viral video leads to cat & mouse game between hosp staff and rats
Salem: After videos of rats scampering about an ICU of a major government hospital in Salem went viral, the hospital administration swung into action. By Tuesday, the staff of the Government
Mohan Kumaramangalam Hospital had managed to catch at least 50 rats. The videos, were taken by relatives of patients admitted in the ICU of the Super Speciality hospital which is part of the GMKMCH.