Catering to the needs of each patient

KOCHI: A trolley with food prescribed by dietitians for each patient, a common sight in posh private hospitals, will be seen at the general hospital here soon. The authorities of the Ernakulam General Hospital will be setting up a state-of-the-art modular kitchen in the hospital so that dietary food can be given to  all the patients  thrice a day.     According to the authorities, the modular kitchen will start functioning within a month. "Each patient will be served  food prescribed by dietitians. Initially, the hospital will bear the cost of the project," said Dr Junaid Rehman, Superintendent. "Later on we will seek the support of sponsors. Already, many NGOs have come forward to sponsor the day-to-day running of the project," he said.The work of transforming the existing kitchen into a modular kitchen has started. The expected cost of the work is Rs 25 lakh. It will cost around Rs 25,000 for providing food for these patients thrice a day. In February this year, the 783-bedded hospital  became the first government hospital in the state to get National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers  (NABH) accreditation. As of now, there are only five private hospitals in the state with the rare distinction.Using around Rs 10 crore provided by the National Rural Health Mission, state government and MP and MLA funds, the hospital successfully implemented all the 100 norms laid down by the NABH.Putting up proper sign boards, ensuring proper drinking water supply, introduction of token system to avoid long queues for registration, facilities for keeping the medical records of patients properly, and deployment of staff for clearing the doubts of patients have been completed. Other facilities include lockers, bedspread, power laundry, dormitory for bystanders, medicines within easy reach and proper disposal of waste.