Urban News

The Hindu 26.01.2010

Efforts to get ISO certification for maternity centres

Special Correspondent

Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

FOR QUALITY SERVICE: Consultant B. Sivakumar (right) providing doctors of the Coimbatore Corporation’s health centres with an insight into the ISO certification process in the city on Monday. —

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation has begun efforts to obtain ISO 9001:2008 certification for six maternity centres run by it. They are Seethalakshmi Maternity Home, Meenakshi Maternity Home, R.K. Bai Maternity Home, V.V.M. Maternity Home, C.T.M. Maternity Home and Singanallur Maternity Home.

While the case of these centres will be taken up in the first phase, the Corporation said on Monday that efforts to get the certification for the other health centres would be taken up later.

Facilities

Assistant City Health Officer R. Sumathi said all activities, ranging from patient care, sterilisation of instruments, safe disposal of biomedical waste, availability of facilities for proper care of the mother and the newborn would be scrutinised in the run-up to the certification.

An orientation programme for the doctors heading the centres and other officials and staff connected to the functioning of the maternity and other health centres of the civic body began on Monday with an orientation session by ISO certification consultant B. Sivakumar.

The consultant had offered to identify gaps between demand and service and close these.

Internal audits and certification, awareness creation and documentation were among the various activities proposed to be carried out during the orientation process.

All these components would be covered in phases over five months before the actual certification in June. Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra said in a press release the training for the para-medical staff for the six maternity centres would be carried out this month itself.

A preliminary assessment found that out-patient data was not analysed and there were no targets such as waiting time for patients.

Field staff

Referrals to the out-patient section were also to be tracked to verify the effectiveness of the field staff. Patient feedback and review system should be introduced.

The assessment found that barring these most of the other requirements in place. These included facilities to store vaccines, for the safe disposal of needles and other biomedical waste.

The Hindu 25.01.2010

Garbage heaps make life miserable for Kanchi Nagar residents

Special Correspondent

Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan

Unhygienic conditions: Garbage heaps pose health hazard in Kanchi Nagar in ward 50 in Salem. —

SALEM: Kanchi Nagar near Nethimedu here stinks. Garbage piling up for the past 45 days remains in the residential colony without being cleared away, leading to serious health hazards to the residents of the locality in ward 50.

Livelihood

People of middle and low income groups live here, eking out a livelihood with much struggle to make both ends meets.

Many of them are labourers whose family members depend on their meagre daily wages.

“We still send our children to schools near-by and maintain our locality neat and tidy as far as we can,” said a resident.

The streets are damaged. Many of them sport huge potholes and craters.

“No official, or for that matter, even the ward councillor, visits us and asks about our grievances,” said a woman.

Each and every lane in the colony has heaps of garbage remaining for days and spreading flies and mosquitoes in abundance.

The people claim that they often fall ill. Their children are the worst affected.

With no basic amenities, they languish not only in poverty but also in the stinking environment.

‘No action’

The residents charge that no action has so far been taken to remove the garbage from the locality despite their repeated petitions.

They insist that Corporation authorities must visit the colony and provide them all necessary basic amenities so that they could lead a healthy life in a clean environment.