Paediatric healthcare in Chandigarh: A healing touch

There’s also a special Home Away from Home a place where parents, who are here at the centre with their children from outside Chandigarh can stay during treatment. The thalassemia unit now has the latest provision of proving blood to children without the White Blood Cells to reduce the risk of infection, with a special department catering to the diagnosis and treatment of children with rare immunity disorders. “We have 10 DM programmes, and also many initiatives for the training of doctors in the region for specialised care of children. The neonatology unit now has a milk bank, while the endocrinology department has created a WhatsApp group of parents with children suffering from diabetes, for both problem-solving and management, with Prof Surjit Singh guiding many initiatives, and emphasising on high patient care,” shares Prof Bansal.

The APC has recently started epilepsy surgery work-up and treatment services for the treatment of epilepsy using surgical procedures, with many common genetic neurological disorders also being diagnosed within PGI. Babies who are presenting with congenital heart disease in the emergency room in a seriously sick state are being admitted to the HDF unit for stabilisation and diagnosis eventually followed by cardiac surgery. This 10-bed new service was started in November 2018 and progressively developed into a formal intensive care unit for such babies. It is equipped with monitors, ventilators, a blood gas machine, and an echocardiography machine. The Pediatric Nephrology Unit here caters to a large number of children with kidney disease every year and the unit now has a special dialysis room, which has been started by Prof HS Kohli, Head, Department of Nephrology, PGI. The idea, he says, is to create a comfortable, child-friendly environment for them, as they are scared of the procedure, and are already emotionally vulnerable, as they have suffered on account of the disease. “If they are treated along with the adults, they can feel very scared, so it was important to create a special space for them, which is not intimidating and clinical. Also, when they see other children their age, they feel they are not alone and can connect with them. The approach of treatment is completely different for a child, for we have to keep many factors in mind,” says Prof Kohli.

The institute’s various departments like orthopedics, Oral Health Sciences Centre have created unique special facilities for children, keeping in view their physical and mental needs, with new advancements encouraged and supported in each sphere. Dr Karalanglin Tiewsoh of the Pediatric Nephrology Unit shares that psychologically, children need special support and sensitivity, and the APC is equipped with world-class facilities and faculty to give children a better quality of life. “These children are our future and the approach to them has to be different. We have special play areas, wards and spaces to help them be comfortable and not intimidated. Dr Rajni Sharma, uses play therapy to help children cope with distress, anxiety, depression, insomnia. Empathy guides our work with children, and we are happy to make a difference,” adds Dr Tiewsoh.

The Pediatrics Department at GMSH-16, with its bright design, has more than 50 beds, according to Dr VK Nagpal. Medical Superintendent, the department has the latest facilities and provides advanced care to children for various diseases. “The hospital will now haven an advanced pediatric care centre, with ICU beds, oxygenated beds, a high dependency unit, and areas for children to wait and utilise their time creatively,” says Dr Nagpal.

The Department of Neonatology in GMCH-32 is involved in clinical, research, and teaching work. “The department offers 3-C care, and is equipped with a neonatal intensive care unit, intermediate care nursery, state-of-the-art clinical care, and an in-house human milk bank. The department boasts of the best neo-natal services, with absolutely no charges for services for mothers giving birth in the government sector. Though we have a high number of patients from across the region and just three specialists, we also run a neonatal follow-up clinic for high-risk neonates and also perinatal counselling for high-risk fetuses,” shares Prof Suksham Jain, Head of Neonatology. The department now also has a super-specialty program in neonatology. Prof Sudhir Garg, Medical Superintendent, GMCH-32, says the pediatric department of the hospital has been designed and created with a lot of care, with special areas, playrooms, wards for children.

Dr Priti Arun, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, GMCH-32 says the department runs several initiatives for children, with facilities like a playroom for children to unwind, relax, and feel at ease and also play therapy room with therpaists, which are decorated beautifully. “We run a group for parenting skills, with four sessions in a month, focused on the management of behavioral problems in children and also an autism parents support group, which is not structured, but a platform for parents to share their concerns, questions, reflections, the idea is to make them feel reassured and that they are not alone. We also have an autism clinic and initiatives for children. The idea is to work towards getting parents involved for support,” she says.