State’s DEIC units a hit, doctors seek wider reach 

The District Early Intervention Centres check for all kinds of deformities, evaluating cardiac functioning, hearing ability, growth related issues, genetic disorders and other health problems.

Currently in Chennai, the Institute of Child Health, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and Stanley Medical College Hospital have DEICs to detect deformities in children ranging from infants and adolescents.

However, unlike what was proposed in the plan, these institutions do not have a separate unit for it. 

Doctors said that though the patients in the city can easily avail the services of the centres, families in other districts, including Dharmapuri, Villupuram, Sivaganga and Thoothukudi, do not have easy access to these centres.

“There is usually only one centre at the district headquarter hospital, while deliveries are performed even at the taluk hospitals and Primary Health Centres. Thus, there is a need to set up these centres in all districts and also in the suburban areas of Chennai,” said a senior medical officer at the Tambaram Government Hospital.

In the absence of such early intervention centres to check deformities, parents have to take their wards to one centre after another for various speciality checks. 

“We see a large number of new born and paediatric cases at the government hospital. However, there is no exclusive centre for DEIC. Patients from suburban areas and even districts such as Tiruchy, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram come to the hospital for follow-up. If DEICs are set up in other places, it would help ease the burden at district headquarter hospitals,” opined Dr Muthu Kumar, paediatrician, Institute of Child Health.

However, the senior officials of the State Health Department said there were adequate number of early intervention centres.

“We have one District Early Intervention Centres centre in each district – all district headquarter hospitals will have it. As the need arises, the taluk hospitals can also be provided with the centres to detect the abnormalities in children at the early stage,” said Director of Medical Services Dr Mohanan.