A programme centred on screening rural women for cervical cancer, a set of simple initiatives to reduce asphyxia and perinatal mortality rate and an effort to evolve a low-cost equipment to cool newborns have received awards for innovation and improving patient care and community services.
Five different programmes of Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, have bagged ‘Order of Merit’ awards at the Skoch Swasth Bharat Awards 2017 held in New Delhi on March 17 and 18. One of the programmes, Intrapartum Initiative, of the Department of Obstetrics received the gold award.
Skoch Foundation, a private organisation, was giving away different awards for different programmes. CMC has been winning many awards in the healthcare category in the last few years, Hugh Skeil, manager, Development, CMC Hospital told reporters on Thursday.
For preventive healthcare, CMC’s Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs (RUHSA) presented, ‘A model preventive cervical cancer screening and treatment programme for rural India: Translating evidence into practice in low resource settings’.
RUHSA’s head Rita Issac said cervical cancer was common in women between 20 and 50 years. “For the last 10 years, we have screened more than 7,000 women, and detected cancer in the early and advanced stages in 3.3 % of them,” she said.
The Department of Neonatology won an award for developing a cost-effective equipment to save the lives of babies who suffer from asphyxia at the time of birth. At least 100 babies have benefited in the last three years, doctors said.
“Intrapartum Initiative” of the Department of Obstetrics won the Skoch Gold Award. It included simple measures such as audit, trainings based on mishaps in the past and use of equipment such as electronic fetal monitors, and elective caesarean sections in high risk cases.
Raji Thomas, head of Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, who won the award for the annual ‘Rehabilitation Mela’ said: “At least 250 patients take part in the Rehab Mela that included medical check-up, evaluation by therapists, sports and talent show,” she said.
The Dental Department also won an award for primary care innovation.
