CHENNAI: Rainbow Children’s Hospital has launched an exclusive Advanced Paediatric Gastro & Liver Centre in the city as childhood gut and liver disorders continue to rise due to changing diets and sedentary lifestyles.

The new facility offers specialised care for conditions such as chronic constipation, reflux, inflammatory bowel disease and early fatty liver symptoms increasingly seen among urban children.

Dr H R Somashekara, senior consultant, paediatric hepatology & liver transplantation, said nearly one in five urban children is overweight, with more than half showing early markers of fatty liver disease. “Early evaluation and focused pediatric care are vital, and this centre is designed precisely for that,” he said.

Dr S Keerthivasan, consultant, paediatric gastroenterology and hepatology, noted that the centre includes a dedicated paediatric endoscopic suite to handle emergencies like foreign body ingestion and GI bleeding with enhanced safety and precision.

Equipped with child-friendly endoscopy rooms, advanced diagnostics and a multidisciplinary team, the centre aims to strengthen long-term gut and liver care.

The facility was inaugurated by J Radhakrishnan, additional chief secretary and CMD, TNEB, in the presence of senior doctors and hospital leaders.