More funds,new CEO for Asha Kiran home

From Monday,the government will begin recruiting staff for the home — 240 ayahs and 100 nurses. Remuneration for the ayahs and nurses has also been hiked to make sure they stay on. Ayahs will now be paid Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per month instead of the earlier Rs 3,000. A team of 10 doctors,including four specialists,will also be hired within a month. Sixty sweepers will also be hired to maintain hygienic standards.

The government also plans to put up Closed Circuit Telelvision (CCTV) cameras,which will be connected to the administrator’s room for better monitoring of the dormitories.

“The idea is to ensure that in case an inmate has an epileptic seizure,the administrator can see him/her immediately and rush medical aid,” said Secretary (social welfare) Manoj Parida.

A team of 13 doctors from the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences is,meanwhile,preparing the medical history of each resident after a detailed medical check-up. Inmates who are medically unfit have been sent to the special ward at the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital.

“We have told the hospital administration to hire an attendant for every inmate admitted to the special ward,so that there are no lapses,” Parida added.

The government has also issued tenders to build a centre at Dwarka on public-private partnership. Three other new centres will be set up at Bindapur,Nehru Vihar and Narela.

Twenty-six inmates have died at the Asha Kiran home since December. In the last four years,over 180 deaths have taken place at the home. Overcrowding has been the biggest problem — while it was built for 350 people,it accommodates over 730.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had announced on Wednesday that within the next two months,the residents will be shifted to three buildings that are being upgraded to ensure proper care and treatment.