Kochi/New Delhi
Kerala Health Minister Veena George has set September 15 as the deadline for setting up an exclusive intensive care unit (ICU) for children in Attappadi, one of the largest and most backward tribal hamlets in the State.
The ICU will be set up in the Kottathara Tribal Speciality Hospital. It is part of the Pinarayi Vijayan government’s efforts to ensure better healthcare facilities for the marginalised children, officials said adding administrative sanction has already been given for an amount of Rs 7 crore to be spent on the overall development of the hospital.
The Kerala Health Minister’s directions came during a joint meeting of the Departments of Health and Women and Child Development on Sunday. She also gave directions to speed up the steps in this regard and elevate the local hospital to an advanced women and child care health facility, an official statement maintained.
One of the latest instances of a child death reported in Attappadi was that of a newborn baby in Sholayur soon after his birth on August 7, the officials said.
George directed the District Medical Officer of Palakkad to conduct an investigation into the complaint that patients are being unnecessarily referred from the Kottathara hospital, it said.
The possibility to incorporate the ethnic delicacies in the nutrition plan of tribal people would also be explored. The objective of the initiative is to get the tribal community to get all the benefits of the government scheme completely, she outlined.
Anganwadi workers, Kudumbashree activists, tribal promoters and health workers should intensify field-level activities, she said, adding that special care should be paid in the case of pregnant women and children in the hamlets.
