World Bank inspects Gudiyattam GH

VELLORE: A team of experts from the World Bank led by Dr Sundar Rajagopalan, senior consultant (health division) visited the Gudiyattam Government Hospital as part of a two-day visit on Monday and Tuesday.According to Dr Kennedy, district coordinator of the Tamil Nadu Health System Project (TNHSP) the team had reviewed the health care services offered by the hospital and assessed how funding from the World Bank helped improve its health care services.Vellore district had received `13 crore from the World Bank since 2007, towards health infrastructure development. The Gudiayattam  GH which was started as a dispensary in 1906 was converted into a taluk headquarters hospital after independence. It was upgraded as a first referral unit in 1995. Since 2005, the hospital has evolved as a comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care service provider.Kennedy said that the team had inspected the laboratories, the computerised pharmacy system (which is capable of interacting with doctors who prescribed drugs to the patients), various wards and operation theatre as well as the blood bank. The team was impressed with the Health Management Information System (HMIS) being implemented in the state, most importantly in Gudiyattam. The system, developed by the TNHSP, assigns each patient with a unique identity number to avail treatment in any of the government hospitals across the State through an online, wide area network system.World Bank has assisted the Gudiyattam GH to acquire an ultra sound scanner, resuscitation kit, computerised ECG machine, cardiac monitor, multi-channel ECG machine, ventilator, Boyles apparatus, baby warmer, needle destroyer, laboratory  and blood bank equipment. The hospital presently caters to about 10 lakh people in the area.The World Bank team also interacted with some of the patients who were present, to acquire feedback about the healthcare delivery system. The functioning of the Poison Treatment Centre that was established this year, was also reviewed. Kennedy said 419 patients have been treated for various poison cases in the centre. The Gudiyattam, Tirupattur and Wallajah GHs would soon get mortuary services under the TNHSP, he added.