RMHC India Brings Care And Comfort To Mumbai Hospital

Posted by Ritu Kumari on October 6th, 2016

The launch of the new Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Hematology & Oncology Department of Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Mumbai has brought a sense of peace and normalcy for Kiran and Raghav of Durgapur, who hadn’t had a breath of air since their 5-year-old daughter Rupa was diagnosed with Leukemia, last year. But now, they will find a place to rest during their daughter’s frequent hospital visits.

The opening of India’s first Ronald McDonald Family Room by RMHC India at BJ Wadia Hospital for Children comes as a ray of hope for the children admitted at the Hematology-Oncology Department, besides providing a comfort zone for the families of the children.

Hospitals are overly-lit, chemical-smell-infested structures full to the brim with despairing faces; that is no place for a child to be alone and think dreadful and dark thoughts. Keeping families close during the time of need is a small but irreplaceable comfort and RMHC understands that. Especially when young children are the ones suffering, the small gesture of letting their loved ones be around them goes a long way to ease the discomfort of the child. Even though parents cannot directly improve the well-being of the child through their presence, it is a great consolation and compensation to have caring elders around.

As the Head of Pediatrics, Hematology and Oncology Department of B J Wadia Hospital says, “If you walk into my department, you will notice that there’s hardly any place to even walk, with entire families present with the patient child. Because, you see, a disease like cancer is not the disease of one person but of the entire family.” Most hospitals in India are cluttered spaces. Lack of quality infrastructure affects thousands of people on a daily basis, leading to stressfulness not only for children but their families as well.

The lack of space within the hospital during a patient’s stay for the treatment, prompts numerous hospital visits and long waiting times for the families. Over 50% of the children treated at the Wadia Hospital’s Hematology-Oncology Department travel from remote, rural locations in India due to lack of healthcare facilities in their hometowns.

“A child’s illness can be debilitating for the entire family –emotionally, financially and physically. This new facility represents the beginning of a tremendous partnership between RMHC India and BJ Wadia Hospital for Children. Through this program, we will be able to provide a calm, restful environment where families can relax and regroup while finding the support and encouragement needed to manage better with the uncertainty that comes with the illness of a child. The Ronald McDonald Family Room will improve parents’ ability to advocate for their children,” says Smita Jatia, Chairwoman, RMHC India.

RMHC India hopes to make a huge difference to both the sick children and their families by providing a clean place with a fresh ambience that will certainly help the child heal faster. It aims to help over 20,000 children who are receiving treatment at the Hematology-Oncology Day Care Ward. Family rooms help nearly 5000-6000 children annually and that has become possible because of new amenities built into the infrastructure such as Air-conditioned waiting rooms for parents, Dry Pantry and Beverages Kiosk, Indoor and Outdoor Play Area for children, counselling for families, clean bathrooms and Recreational Facilities such as TV, DVD etc.

The ultimate aim of the ‘family rooms’ is easing the problems of families of children being treated at the hospital by keeping them close, which aids in the healing of the ailing child and makes it easier for the family to cope with the problem.