Date:23/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/23/stories/2008112354560600.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Institute of Child Health to get more beds and advanced equipment in the ICU

Special Correspondent

Parithi Illamvazhuthi has agreed to sanction Rs.1.70 crore from MLA fund

— PHOTO: M. VEDHAN

FOR THE NEWBORN: Information Minister Parithi Illamvazhuthi interacts with new mothers at the valedictory of the Newborn Week celebrations at the ICH in Chennai on Friday. ICH director Saradha Suresh is in the picture.

CHENNAI: The Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children has proposed to upgrade the facilities in the intensive care unit. It includes adding more beds and installing advanced equipment to provide better treatment to the children.

The money for the upgradation will come from the MLA constituency development fund of Information Minister Parithi Illamvazhuthi.

The Minister, who represents Egmore constituency, on Friday announced that he had agreed to provide Rs.1.70 crore towards purchase of the equipment.

“The State government is committed to its people and has set aside the largest amount of funds for healthcare,” he said at the valedictory of the newborns week celebration at the Institute.

ICH director Saradha Suresh said the Institute was sought after for its facilities by people from across the State. “Parents have to spend Rs.7,000 to Rs.10,000 a day on treating their newborns in private hospitals and many a times cannot afford such expenditure beyond a day. We have 15 beds and with the current manpower we can accommodate five more beds in the ICU,” she said. The hospital currently has six ventilators. “We need at least five more. For the extra beds we would need to spend on oxygen tubing and IV syringe pumps.”

Earlier this week, Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam sanctioned Rs.3 crore to enable the hospital to replace its old equipment. The new equipment and the additional beds are expected to be installed in three months. “We are also pressuring the Public Works Department to take up construction of the sanctioned new building as soon as possible,” she said.

Senior doctors from the Madras Medical College also participated in the function. Mr. Illamvazhuthi distributed certificates to doctors and nurses who participated in ompetitions and symposia conducted as part of the week.