A Children's hospital in the making.

I was recently at a meeting of the senior consultants of the department of child health at the Christian Medical college, Vellore, when they presented or referred to the activities about 13 sub-specialties in child health, which offer services currently in the hospital. A few specialities have formal or informal training programme and others are in the process of starting one. What a delight to hear these specialists and sense their excitement about developing these specialities into fully recognised training departments! 

I tried recalling if I have come across about twenty five sub-spcialists who are young and have a long term commitment in any other institutions in India! In that sense the Child health department at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, is unique and vibrant. 

This department is about to celebrate the history of its fifty years leadership in post-graduate training for which they are holding its alumni gathering in September, 2013 at Vellore. 

This department has pursued the vision of sub-specialising for the last twenty five years, Neonatology and Endocrinology being the initial ones. It has a history of inclusive health care policy, which ensures that every child with a treatable clinical condition would receive treatment irrespective of the paying capacity of the families. Some of the research contributions of this department were original and path breaking, which have received international recognition. The emphasis of this department has been to train at least two consultants in each sub-specialty to provide stability and continuity. 

I feel that the department is now ready to 'launch out into the deep' by becoming a children's hospital. Some experiments of developing children's hospital in India have brought forth better quality of services and integration of services. 

Children need a different ambience than what traditional adult hospital provide. If a hospital has to become a 'home or school' for children during their hospital visit or stay, it is good to envision a child friendly hospital setting. Some of the issues of children and families, need a different style of approach and response than what we practice in adult hospitals. 

Let me encourage the team at the child health department at CMC Vellore to dream that they have what it takes to be a leading Children's Hospital in India to show the way for innovative and contemporary approaches to Child Life and Health! .    

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)