Groundbreaking marks commencement of construction for a new building
of the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children (ICH)
The new building is being constructed under JICA’s grant to enhance
children’s healthcare and Pediatric education at ICH
Chennai, April 22 2015: Ground-breaking for a new building to house the Out Patient Department (OPD) of the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children (ICH) was conducted today. The new OPD building will comprise 68,800 sq. ft. spread over four floors, and is expected to be ready for use by November 2016. ICH is a public tertiary-care hospital that provides services without charge, and currently caters to over 2,500 children from the region encompassing Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, daily in the OPD. ICH is part of Madras Medical College, the new OPD building is being constructed by the Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Tamil Nadu.
The ground-breaking for the new building was attended by Mr. V. Irai Anbu, IAS, Additional Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Tamil Nadu; Dr. S. Sundari, Director and Superintendent, ICH; Mr. Seiji Baba, Consul-General of Japan in Chennai and Ms. Sachiko Imoto, Senior Representative, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) India Office, among others.
JICA had signed an agreement with the Government of India in February 2014 to provide grant-aid of up to 1,495 million Yen (approx. Rs 88.20 crore) for improvement of the ICH. The institute and hospital are currently spread across different buildings and the number of patients it receives is increasing, straining medical care for patients and learning opportunity for students. Under the grant from JICA a new user-friendly OPD building is being constructed that will minimize movement of patients and medical personnel, the emergency department is being enhanced and the latest medical equipment are being procured.
JICA has previously extended a grant of 667 million Yen (approx. Rs 40 crore) to ICH in 1998, which was utilized for procurement of equipment for diagnosis, treatment and operations like ventilators, monitors, infusion pumps, CT scanner and X-ray machines, among others.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. S. Sundari, Director and Superintendent, Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children said, “Over three lakh newborns, fifty lakh pediatric patients and over five thousand children who received corrective cardiac surgeries at ICH have benefited from the previous Japanese grant. The state-of-the-art infrastructure being developed under the new grant will contribute to providing health care services, especially to underprivileged children, which compares with the best in the world.”
Mr. Shinya Ejima, Chief Representative, JICA India Office said, “Japanese grant-aid promotes development of socio-economic and human resources infrastructure which directly supports enhancement of living standards and life-expectancy. The present grant will also contribute to achieving reduced child mortality, pledged under the Millennium Development Goals, which involves improving neonatal and child healthcare, particularly among vulnerable communities.”
JICA has extended JPY 337,796 million (approx. Rs 19,870 crore) in ODA (Official Development Assistance) loans since 1981 for all-round development in Tamil Nadu. The initiatives facilitated by the ODA loans include the Chennai Metro, Tamil Nadu investment promotion program to expedite domestic and foreign investments, power transmission system enhancement across Tamil Nadu, provision for safe water supply and sewerage facilities across Tamil Nadu, water supply enhancement and fluorosis mitigation in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, enhancement of Chennai port operations, and biodiversity conservation and greening across Tamil Nadu, among others.
JICA has extended JPY 17,000 million (approx. Rs 1,000 crore) in ODA grants since 1995 to enhance health care facilities in India. The initiatives facilitated by the ODA grants include eradication of poliomyelitis (through UNICEF), eradication of diarrhoeal disease in West Bengal and improvement of reproductive and child health in Madhya Pradesh, among others.
About JICA
Established as an independent administrative institution, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) aims to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation. JICA works as a bridge between Japan and emerging countries and provides assistance in form of loan, grant and technical cooperation so that the emerging countries can strengthen their capabilities.
JICA India Brochure: http://www.jica.go.jp/india/
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