Nair hospital to start rehabilitation centre for children with disabilities

The five-storey building that will house the centre is nearing completion. Experts from multiple disciplines like paediatric psychiatry, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, dentistry, orthodpaedics, ENT, and ophthalmology are being hired

An early intervention centre for children with physical and psychological disabilities under the aegis of BYL Nair Charitable Hospital will soon come up at Nagpada. Rehabilitation therapies will be provided free of cost at the facility that will be run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

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“Children can be referred to us by schools, general practitioners, and other hospitals. The idea was to start a facility for children with disabilities like visual impairment, hearing impairment, and locomotive as well as psychological ones,” Dr Henal Shah, professor of psychiatry department and the centre’s coordinator, said.

The five-storey building that will house the centre is nearing completion. Experts from multiple disciplines like paediatric psychiatry, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, dentistry, orthodpaedics, ENT, and ophthalmology are being hired.

Many a time, people with disabilities have multiple impairments, and rehabilitation plays a big role in helping them adapt to the world around them, Dr Surbhi Rathi, co-coordinator of the centre, said.

“The multiple therapies required for such children are expensive, difficult to find, and scattered all over. It becomes a challenge for parents to take their children to so many places, with many of them not being disability-friendly,” Dr Rathi, acting head of paediatrics department, said.

Each child coming to the centre would already have the necessary diagnosis, but a team of experts will assess the individual needs and prepare a rehabilitation plan. The centre will also have yoga, animal-assisted therapy, dance therapy, aqua therapy, and a lot of sensory therapies in place. There is also a plan to include technological interventions like telemedicine and robotic therapies.

“The design of the centre has been made with the help of architects. Care has been taken to keep it child-friendly as well as disability-friendly,” Dr Pravin Rathi, dean of the hospital, said.