Work on the construction of a new paediatric super-specialty centre at Christian Medical College (CMC) on its Ranipet campus has commenced.
According to a press release, the new centre is part of the second phase expansion of CMC at its new Ranipet campus. The new centre marks a significant milestone in CMC Vellore’s 125-year legacy of comprehensive healthcare and patient care.
Funded by the Canada-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited and Bengaluru-based Quess Corp Limited, the new venture will deliver specialised care in child health, providing advanced technological support that was previously inaccessible to the general public.
Paediatric medicine at CMC Vellore began in 1928, when its founder, Dr. Ida Sophia Scudder, established the Ellen Scripps Children as a refuge for destitute infants. In 1940, CMCe introduced its outpatient clinic for children, marking the beginning of dedicated paediatric services.
The Child Health Department expanded with new buildings in 1958 and the addition of two paediatric wards in Q Block in 1970. A significant milestone was achieved with the opening of the Ida S. Scudder Centenary Centre for Women and Children in December 2000.
Currently, the department serves over 1.4 lakh children as outpatients and admits more than 6,300 annually. The Well Baby Clinic offers immunisation and growth monitoring for over 75,000 infants and children each year. The neonatal department admits over 12,000 newborns annually. It includes three general paediatric units, a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (established in 1996), and various specialised services including paediatric emergency services, paediatric endocrinology, paediatric haematology-oncology, paediatric nephrology and paediatric rheumatology.
The new centre at the Ranipet campus will eventually house these sub-specialities, further enhancing the Department of Child Health role as a leading care provider for children across India and neighbouring countries. It will also serve as a premier training centre for paediatrics, continuing to uphold the highest standards of medical education and patient care.
On the occasion, Dr. Vikram Mathews, Director, CMC (Vellore), Dheepak Selvaraj, associate director, CMC (Ranipet), were present, the release said.
