The Rishikesh-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is being equipped to treat neurological disorders among children in Uttarakhand, a healthcare facility that was not available in the hill state to date.
The AIIMS administration has set up a new neurology division in the department of paediatrics, said a hospital statement.
Earlier, many children, suffering from neurological disorders in Uttarakhand, had to be taken to AIIMS, Delhi, or Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, for treatment.
However, those from the underprivileged socio-economic background couldn’t afford to make the journey to Delhi or Chandigarh for treatment and would suffer from several morbidities, at times, leading to even death.
Professor Ravi Kant, director, AIIMS, Rishikesh, said: “The paediatric neurology division will provide state-of-the-art and comprehensive healthcare services for children with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, encephalitis, headache, muscular disorders, autoimmune, and other complex neurological disorders.”
The multispeciality hospital has also introduced a doctor of medicine (DM) super-speciality course in paediatric neurology. AIIMS-Rishikesh is the fourth government institute in the country to start this prestigious course and first in Uttarakhand, he said.
“The neurology division will run an outpatient department (OPD) facility in the morning and five speciality clinics will cater to children suffering from various neurological disorders. It is also well equipped with an in-patient facility for admitting children with neurological disorders and providing them with all advanced treatment options,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“The neurology division will run an outpatient department (OPD) facility in the morning and five speciality clinics will cater to children suffering from various neurological disorders. It is also well equipped with an in-patient facility for admitting children with neurological disorders and providing them with all advanced treatment options,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Dr. Indar Kumar Sharwat, an associate professor and the head of the new neurology division, said there are plans to open a Paediatric Epilepsy Monitoring unit in the near future.
“The division will initiate a comprehensive neuro-rehabilitation centre for children with multiple disabilities to provide them with various developmental and behavioural therapies under one roof,” he added.