Children visiting the Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Hospital for Children, Egmore and their parents can spend time relaxing and learning at the newly inaugurated amphitheatre.
The hospital plans to screen health education documentaries, and cartoons with morals in this open-air gallery.
One of the initiatives to make the hospital child-friendly, the amphitheatre was among several other facilities that were inaugurated by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami at ICH on Wednesday.
He inaugurated a modular theatre for paediatric cardio-thoracic surgeries and genetic and molecular laboratory services. The facilities have come up at a total cost of ₹35.46 crore. In addition, a thyroid testing programme for newborns was also launched at ₹one crore.
Health Minister C.Vijaya Baskar said a team recently visited the hospital. “We wanted to create a child-friendly hospital, besides creating an ambience in which the children could relate better to the doctors and nurses,” he said.
Surrounded by cartoon characters and trees on the sidewalls, the amphitheatre will provide entertainment to the children getting treated at the ICH. “Children too need entertainment to forget about their disease and recover well. So, we will screen animation films with morals,” said A.T. Arasar Seeralar, director, ICH.
They plan to screen documentaries/cartoons from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. or 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. during out patient hours and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. “Children, who are admitted to the hospital and can move, can come to the amphitheatre and spend sometime,” he said.
The hospital has entered into a pact with Apollo Hospitals and Fortis Malar Hospital for performing surgeries for complicated cardiac anomalies. The ICH, that was established 50 years ago with 250 beds, has 837 beds now. As part of the golden jubilee celebrations, a new logo was released on the occasion. A wall garden has been set up with drip irrigation.
Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, Ministers, Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan were present.
