RCD HOSPITAL READY TO UNDERGO RENOVATION : Rani Chandramani Devi (RCD) Hospital is located in the heart of the city, the number of out-patients here is very low. Most of the poor and middle-class parents prefer to go to King George Hospital (KGH) or a private clinic in case of a health problem to their kids but not to this government hospital.The hospital provides specialist services in general pediatric,orthopaedic. physiothera. p birth defects, speech therapy and clinical psychology. It offers treatment and rehabilitation for cerebral palsy, clubfoot, orthosis and post polio deformities. However, it doesn''t deal • It had proposed to spend 11.5 Iakh on repairing the operation theatre, ?6 Iakh to construct a compound wall and 2.5 lakh to dig bore well any traumatic cases such as accident injuries. According to the doctors in RCD. most of the pediatric services in this age- old hospital were not utilised due to lack of awareness among the public. The hospital is trying to improve the facilities and renovate the operation theatre to achieve more number of in, patients in the coming future."Post bifurcation of the state, the government had proposed to make RCI) a referral hospital on the lines of Nioufer Hospital in Hyderabad. After the hospital gets renovated. the in-patient strength may double to 40 patients a day from 20 patients a day at present," RCI) orthopaedic specialist Dr. T. Srinivas said. Chandramani Devi had donated her palace and a huge land bank to the State Government to set up a premier hospital for children at China Waltair. A childrens hospital was started in 1965 with 20 beds. The bed strength was gradually increased to 70 beds. Now, only 20.25 beds are being occupied at the hospital.The hospital has no shortage of funds. It has around 52 lakh in its reserves accrued through cinema shootings, studenttraining programmes and other donations. Based on requirement. the committee would release funds for development. It has sent a request letter to APMSIDC and they have already called for tenders.AP Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC) is the nodal agency for construction and maintenance of hospital buildings on no profit and no loss basis. Currently, the operation theatre is not functional as its roof had damages.RCD Hospital Development Society Committee had recently met the district collector and received approval for an expenditure of 26 lakhs of its funds to (levelop the hospital services.

STATE-LEVEL HEALTH FESTIVAL IN CITY ON JUNE 21 : Principal Secretary (Health) Poonam Malakondaiah said that a State-level Health Festival will be held at Novotel hotel in the city on June 21. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and representatives from other States would attend the inaugural function. The Principal Secretary reviewed the arrangements for the programme at the Collectorate here on Friday. The Chief Minister would inaugurate the AP Medical Tourism Hub in Visakhpatnam on the same day. He would also inaugurate the e-Sub Centre, RFID, Mukhyamantri Bala Suraksha Yojana and e-Health magazine. She said that the winners of the competitions for the best practices, adopted in the implementation of health programmes, would be presented awards by the Chief Minister.

LAKSHMINARAYANA INAUGURATES NEW BUILDING OF VASANTA BALA VIDYODAYA SCHOOL: Former IPS officer V.V. Lakshminarayana is of the view that nationalisation of education will usher in a better, value-based system ridding it of the present obsession with marks. He said the reform should be akin to nationalisation of banks in 1969 with an objective of bringing value-based education back. He was answering a question on the predicament of parents growing privatisation of education in a brief interaction with media during the inauguration of a new building for Vasanta Bala Vidyodaya (VBV) School. It was important to go back to the roots of every issue to find out solutions, he said. Mr. Lakshminarayana, who quit IPS voluntarily recently, said he was interested in going to the roots of problems of farmers and irrigation and taking them to the government''s notice in an effort to find a solution. The former IPS officer, who interacted with farmers at Tummapala on Saturday, said the V.V. Ramana sugar factory could be revived if the government sanctioned Rs 30 crore. Earlier, opening the new school building constructed by VBV Alumni Welfare Society at a cost of Rs. 65 lakh, he said if every student gave back to his alumnus, educational institutions could be vastly improved and recalled such an effort at Srisailam by him and other alumni. He lauded the contribution of Dr. Sumana, who got the entire first floor constructed spending about Rs 30 lakh in the name of her parents. The ''G+1'' new building that came in place of the old one constructed in 1980 comprised a hall for cultural programmes, three classrooms and an office room, totalling 3000 sft. Theosophical Society all-India general secretary Pradip H Gohil, Dr. Sumana''s parents D.V. Raju and Leelarani, association president K. Ramakrishna, executive member P. Srinivasa Raju, architect Ravikiran, structural engineer Ramananda Sagar, MD of CMR Mavvuri Venkata Ramana participated.

WORKSHOP HELD ON SURGICAL SKILLS: The Department of Plastic Surgery, Andhra Medical College, and KGH organised a workshop on Basic surgical skills for house surgeons on sunday at Amcana Study Centre at the Super Speciality Block.