The therapeutic dietary kitchen of General Hospital Ernakulam was inaugurated by Hon’ble chief minister Sri.OommenChandy on 26th October .Therapeutic dietary kitchen ,first of its kind in Government sector was launched in 2011 to satisfy the hunger of all the inpatients of General Hospital Ernakulam. The Department with the assistance from 5 dieticians provide free four nutritious meals and evening tea and snacks prepared under stringent hygienic conditions to the patients at their bed side. The department is run exclusively with the support of sponsors and needs around 9 lakhs per month.
General hospital, Ernakulam is multi specialtyhospitals with an average inpatients admission of 500 – 600. One Senior Grade Dietician is posted who looks after the distribution of the ration supplied by the government and involves in counseling. Two Dieticians are posted under HDS and two Dieticians under NRHM for the In Patient and Out Patient nutritional assessment and diet counseling who reports to hospital superintendent. Post of One Grade II cook is also available in the dietary department. Twenty stewards are posted on daily wages, from “Kudumbba Sree Unit”. Therapeutic dietary kitchen consist of 10 cooks and one supervisor, posted by the sponsors’ group. One cleaning staff is posted from “Kudumbba Sree Unit” for dietary department.
Aims
1. Nutritional assessment for all the in patients.
2. To have a proper food distribution system in the hospitals.
3. The need of a therapeutic kitchen to cater to the need of the patients on special diets.
4. Nutrition education program to the patients and families for the promotion of health and prevention of diseases.
5. To document data pertinent to the nutritional care of the patient and
develop a nutritional care plan for the patient.
6. To maintain a state of positive health and prevent chronic degenerative diseases.
7. To ensure adequate nutrition for all age groups.
8. To provide medical intervention and to provide safely prepared food and advice on flavorsome attractive and nutritious meals for patient.
9. Dietary training and internship students are being trained under the guidance of qualified dietitians
10. Nutrition Exhibitions and different nutrition related seminars are being conducted in connection with World health day, World nutrition week, and world food day.
11. Awareness classes for general public are being conducted periodically
12. All the ANCs are being assessed and counseled monthly at nutritional clinic.
13. Dialysis patients are being counseled periodically.
Dietary guidelines
1. A nutritionally adequate diet should be consumed through a wise choice from a variety of low cost nutritious diet.
2. Additional food and extra care are required during pregnancy and lactation and other chronic debilitating diseases.
3. Exclusive breast feeding should be practiced for 6 months.
4. Complimentary feeding should be started at the age of 6 months.
5. Children and adolescents both in health and diseases should take adequate and appropriate diet.
6. Green leafy vegetables and other vegetables and locally available fruits should be used.
7. Cooking oil should be used in moderation.
8. Food consumed should be safe and clean.
9. Salt and sugar should be used in moderation.
10. Water should be taken in adequate amounts unless otherwise indicated due to the onset of illness. DIABETES EDUCATIONOF DIABETES EDUCATION
For I P Patients
1. All inpatients are screened for possible nutritional risk within twenty four hours (24) of admission by the nutritionist or dietician.
2. Nutrition counseling with diet advice is given at the bedside for patients identified at moderate or severe nutritional risk.
3. A follow up assessment by the nutritionist or dietician will be completed weekly, following the initial nutrition assessment
4. A daily diet modification is done for therapeutic diets supplied from the hospital to all the in patients.
5. Follow up assessments will include review of the same components as the initial assessment and evaluation.
For O P Patients
1. The dietician has an outpatient therapeutic nutrition clinic on all working days from Monday to Saturday from 9:00am to 1:00pm.
2. Patients who need or desire nutritional follow-up after hospital admission will be seen as outpatient.
3. Diet Sheets are given after the consultation
Services of Dietary Department
Dietary department of the hospital cater to the needs of all in-patients by providing four major meals ; Breakfast, Lunch, Evening Tea and Dinner, in best possible hygienic conditions. The food distribution for the special diets and tube feeding is under direct control of Dietary department supervised by the nutritionist or dietician.
Hospitalized patients with different illnesses require much more care than simply providing food. Patients’ intake of diet, adequacy of nutrients, if required the support of enteral or parental feeding will be available.
• Diet is provided to patients admitted to hospital irrespective to APL or BPL category
• The government supplied diet alone will not be sufficient to run a dietary department. So the diet committee decided to develop a therapeutic kitchen under the Chairmanship of District Collector of Ernakulam and is managed by the Hospital Development Society