BANGALORE: The Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology is all set to open a children's ward at the end of the month. A sum of Rs. 1.5 crore for the 30-bed children's ward has been donated by a philanthropist.

Bapsy, Director of the Kidwai Institute of Oncology, says the ward will help serve the needs of the children better. "Children need special care and we think we will be able to provide it better in a separate ward," she says.

At least eight per cent of patients admitted to the hospital are children. While most of them suffer from blood cancer, a few have more aggressive and rare forms of the disease.

The new ward will wear a more cheerful look with the walls painted in different colours and curtains decked with the faces of comic characters. A whole room filled with toys and tables with art material will also be available to children. "We want to minimise the feel of a hospital in the new ward. We want children to be as cheerful as they can be," says a doctor at the hospital.

So far, children have been treated in the women's ward with adults. However, doctors say that several children become fearful when they are treated in the same room as adults with different types of cancers. "When a child sees an adult cry in pain, it gets scared. It damages its psyche," says Dr. Bapsy.

The needs of children up to the age of 14 will be met by a special panel of doctors who specialise in paediatric care. "We have a panel of five doctors that will look after these children," she says.

Campaign

The institute is also conducting an awareness campaign in schools on cancers. A survey done by the institute showed that over 30 per cent of school-going children between 12 to 15 years are into smoking or chewing tobacco. More than 400 children in various schools have been sensitised as part of this campaign.

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