Hospitals learn to be hospitable

Far from white-walled interiors which reek of disinfectant and scream acirc;euro;tilde;hospitalacirc;euro;trade; at every corner, private institutions catering to the affluent are determined to make patient feel they are no vulnerable beneficiaries but clients who expect 8211; and often demand 8211; the services they pay for.

Culinary delights are the latest additions to the facilities available at the new Heart Institute at Nanavati Hospital. Says Suresh Nanavati, chairperson of the hospital and the institute: acirc;euro;tilde;acirc;euro;tilde;When I was hiring a dietician for the HI, I asked her to make me food that is so interesting that I should want to buy it. If our patients are paying for it,they must get the best, he says. Of course, he adds, the gourmet food served at the HI takes into account the dietary restrictions of each patient.

So, while patients at the HI savour gastronomic delights, others at the cardiac ward next door have to make do with the regular fare.Bombay Hospitalacirc;euro;trade;s contribution to enhancing ambiance is quot;eliminating the characteristic hospital smell,quot; says a representative of the institution. quot;We use deoderant and cotton wool soaked in spirit, and ether is disposed of separately. Besides swabbing the floors twice a day, every room is thoroughly disinfected after the a patient is discharged,quot; he explains.

If some of these luxuries masquerade as necessities, practical solutions to cumbersome medical procedures have also emerged. The Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI machine acquired by Breach Candy Hospital helps overcome the claustrophobia patients experience in the tunnel-like structure of the earlier machines.

Explains Dr Viral Shah, the doctor-in-charge, quot;Almost 11 percent of patients used to suffer from claustrophobia in the earlier MRI machines. Not only does the new machine give far more leg-room, the patient is also given earphones to listen to music of his choice. He is also provided with a speaker-phone to communicate with the doctors outside.quot;

But pleasing patients alone is only half the objective achieved. Keeping the whole family happy makes far more business sense, with some hospitals introducing acirc;euro;tilde;acirc;euro;tilde;relative-friendlyacirc;euro;trade;acirc;euro;trade; facilities as well.

For instance, the P D Hinduja National Hospital has enclosures with sofa-cum-beds close to the Intensive Care Unit ICU for relatives who stay overnight. Apart channel8217;s in the Customs, which would facilitate clearance of films.

For instance, a producer who feels a film does not need clearance from the Central Board for Film Certification could merely submit an affidavit to this effect, whereas only those who wanted to dish out adult fare would have to seek clearance from the censors, Swaraj explained.

This, sheunderscores, is only an idea which could be discussed with the film fraternity. But, she said, producers violating their declarations would be punished for the infringement.

The minister also promised to set up a Development Council which would be represented by film personalities with a good track record. The council would convene in the capital every three months and discuss problems and find solutions faced by the industry.

This is the first time a conference of this nature has been organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry FICCI on such a large scale. Prominent film personalities spoke and read papers, while thespian Dilip Kumar inaugurated the meet.

After a passionate assessment of the condition of film producers, who do not get even Rs 7 of every Rs 100 earned at the box-office, he also drew attention to institutions like production units like New Theatres, Prabhat, Ranjit and Bombay Talkies, which were self-sufficient, well-equipped and made memorable films thathave been wiped out due to lack of institutional finance.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde said his government had urged the central government four years ago that a national film financing institution be set up, to which the state would contribute Rs 100 crore.