HC tells TN to expedite construction of Institute of Child Health and Hospital in Madurai

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday directed the State government to expedite the process of constructing an Institute of Child Health and Hospital (ICH) in Madurai after the State government informed the court that it is taking steps for the same.

A Bench comprising justices R Mahadevan and J Sathya Narayana Prasad gave the direction on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by A Veronica Mary, seeking direction to construct ICH in Madurai, similar to the one established in Chennai, and to constitute a state-level medical committee to study and report about child deaths in paediatric surgery unit at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai.

Mary alleged that due to the lack of medical facilities at GRH, the infant mortality rate there has been higher than that of ICH, Chennai. But the directorate of medical education, in response, submitted that the department of paediatric surgery of GRH is one of the oldest surgical speciality departments in Tamil Nadu and has adequate facilities. That apart, the Institute of Child Health and Research Centre of Madurai has nine beds, especially for neonatal intensive surgical care, it added.

It also informed that the government has taken steps to construct a full-fledged Institute of Child Health and Research Centre in Madurai, containing a general paediatric ward, paediatric intensive care unit, wards for paediatric super specialities, such as paediatric cardiology, neurology, nephrology, gastroenterology, a newborn ward and a paediatric surgery unit, among others. Modern equipment would be procured for the institute, based on the need from time to time, it added. Likewise, death audits are conducted in GRH every month and steps are being taken to prevent such incidents in future, it added.

"The government proposed to upgrade the institute as a Centre of Excellence at a cost of Rs 20 crore and the sanction of the initial amount of Rs 4 crore for the construction of 400-bedded, G+ 2 floors is under consideration for 2022-23," the government counsel told the court. Recording these statements, the judges directed the authorities to take speedy action and complete the construction as expeditiously as possible and disposed of the petition.