Mysuru: Asha Kirana Charitable Trust Hospital, which has been involved in the care of people living with HIV for over two decades, has now taken up other less addressed areas of health care in Mysuru. One such is early comprehensive care for infants and young children with developmental delay.

Putta Hejje (Tiny Steps) Early Intervention Programme was inaugurated at Asha Kirana Hospital recently by Rtn. R. Guru, Chairman, NR Group.

Spearheaded by Senior Occupational Therapist  Sashikala Ramnath, Putta Hejje aims to provide early neuro developmental rehabilitation, parent training and guidance in close association with referring physicians. Brain growth is maximal during the first five years of life. The goal is to enrol children with special needs as early as birth and provide timely intervention, thus enabling them to achieve developmental milestones.

Dr. M.S. Mahadevaiah, Medical Director, Spastic Society of Karnataka, in his keynote address, said that about 90% of the time, parents can recognise a developmental issue. He also spoke of the importance of professionals not ignoring such parental concerns. According to Dr. Mahadevaiah, the country currently needs over 1,500 comprehensive centres with an Occupational Therapist (OT), Speech Therapist, Audiologist, Physiotherapist (PT) &  a Counsellor. Karnataka has less than 25. Putta Hejje in this context is a “Tiny Step” in the right direction.

Dr. Paramesh,  Paediatric Pulmonologist, explained the role of environmental pollution in adding to the burden                      prenatally.

Currently, Putta Hejje is housed within Asha Kirana Hospital and is providing OT, PT and Counselling services while liaising with the referring Physician. A resource person for parents with Autistic children is also available as needed. In due course, Speech therapy will be added. A full-fledged Physiotherapy Unit for adults was also inaugurated on the occasion. As always, these services are not for profit and citizens are urged to make use of them.

Dr. S.N. Mothi, K.S. Gururaja, Dr. S.R. Ravish, Dr. S.N. Prashanth, Dr. M.R. Prashanth, Dr. Haridas Upadhya, Dr. Chandrashekar, Faculty from Farooqia College of Pharmacy were among those present.

Whom to refer to Putta Hejje?

* Premature birth

*Low birth weight

*Prolonged NICU course

*Birth asphyxia

*Cerebral Palsy

*Delayed Milestones

*Loss of achieved milestones

*Mental Retardation

*Syndromic infants with developmental delay

*Neuro-muscular disorders

Services offered

Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Sensory Stimulation, Special Seating & Postural Systems, Parent Counselling, Guidance for Educational Support.