Demanding that doctors strive for zero tolerance towards child death and inefficiency, and be pro-active in the execution of their duties, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who was on a visit to the Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital here on Saturday said: “The Millennium Development Goal deadline is September 2015, and we are still a long way off. There are many things you all can do to reduce the child mortality rate. If developed countries can do it, we also should be able to do it because there is no paucity of money or human resources.”
Stating that the Centre was conscious of its responsibility towards reducing the number of maternal and child deaths in accordance with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, Dr. Vardhan — who spent almost two hours inspecting various wards and Departments at the hospital — also met with Department heads to understand the various problems they face.
The Minister gave several suggestions to improve the facilities offered by the hospital.
“There should be television sets constantly playing health education films in the OPD waiting area. This will make parents of infants and children aware of how to avoid diarrhoea and other simple diseases, and reduce the burden of this hospital,” he said.
Since 1956, the Kalawati Saran Hospital has served as a government facility for tertiary treatment of children. Its present bed strength is 375, but the demand is far greater. An expansion programme is under implementation to accommodate 1,000 patients.
The Minister was told about the problems faced by various Departments, including the lack of full-time technicians for attending instantly to problems with the equipment.
“We have to rely on the vendors’ technicians, who take their own time to arrive. The doctors often have to double up as technicians, which affects their attention to the surge of patients,” the doctors told Dr. Vardhan.
The Minister reviewed the infrastructure at the hospital and assured senior administration members that the vacant posts of doctors and staff, and the faculty at Lady Hardinge Medical College, which is part of the hospital, will be filled up soon.
“I am keen to see improvements in the hospital because it is crucial to our objective of meeting the UN deadline,” said the Minister.
