Pediatrics

Introduction and History of Pediatric Department


Introduction and History of Pediatric Department

The Department of Pediatrics at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital was established as a teaching unit in the 1950’s. Since then the Department has advanced in high-quality patient care and management, catering to thousands of patients from all over India every year.

This Department has established itself in Pediatric Medicine with its intensive academic curriculum and state-of-the-art medical facilities. It is a multifaceted Department with well-developed sub-speciality services for children inNeurology, Epilepsy and Developmental Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology including Bone Marrow Transplant, Gastroenterology-Hepatology and Nutrition, Obesity , Intensive care, Asthma, Pulmonology,  Nephrology, Learning Disability, HIV , Endocrinology, Child Palliative care and Cardiology .The Department runs general Pediatric out-patient services daily and 13sub-specialty clinics. All these services are offered free of cost, thus catering mainly to poor and needy patients unable to afford costly medical treatment.

 

Milestones

·         1959:

Ø  Existence of Department of Pediatrics on the 1st of April 1959.

Ø  Dr VB Athavale as the acting Chief. Sir was an eminent Pediatrician, a philosopher and was spiritual in his thinking.

Ø  There were 60 beds in two spacious barracks.

Ø  Dr. Athavale was a visionary anddeveloped 2 Pediatric sub-specialitiesi.eNeonatology and Hematology.

 

·         1962: 

Ø  Dr.C.S.Wagle, an astute clinician and excellent teacher joined the department.

Ø  Sion Hospital was considered a Medical College by the Municipal Corporation.

 

·         1967:

Ø  Dr. George Coelho, MRCP (London), MRCP (Ed.) senior most Pediatrician, alsocalled the “Father of Pediatrics” in India was given charge of the department for 2 years(1967 to 1969)

Ø  MD (Pediatrics) and MBBS got recognized.

 

·         1969: 

Ø  Retirement of Dr. Coelho in 1969

Ø  Dr. Athavale was recognized as Professor of Pediatrics by Bombay University and was given charge of the department.

Ø   2 clinical units – one under Dr. Athavale and the other under Dr. Wagle were formed.

Ø   Dr. WK Kandoth, Dr. Radha Iyer, Dr. Sam Toddywalla, Dr. MR Lokeshwar, Dr. Armida Fernandez and Dr. SantoshPuri joined the department subsequently.

Ø  Subspecialty afternoon OPD began.

 

·         1972: Silver jubilee of the hospital celebrated.

 

·         1973:

·         A third unit established in RaoliCamp Maternity Home, headed by Dr. W.K.Kandoth. This was later shifted to UHC, Dharavi in 1981.

 

·           1976: 

Ø  Dr. Lokeshwar initiated the division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.

Ø  Dr. Fernandez began the Neonatology division.

Ø  Dr. Athavale started a 16-bedded Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which had separate septic and aseptic units.

 

·           1988: Establishment of Thalassemia Day care center by Dr. Lokeshwar.

 

·         1990:

Ø   Establishment of Human Milk Bank, the first of its kind in the country by Dr. Fernandez. 

Ø   Diarrhea Treatment and Training Unit funded by WHO, was established by Dr. Meenakshi Mehta.

 

·         1992: Establishment of Childhood Asthma Services

 

·         1993: Establishment of division of Pediatric Nephrology .

 

·         1996: 

Ø  Establishment of the Learning Disability Clinic.

Ø  It was the first clinic forCertification of specific Learning Disability by State of Maharashtra.

 

·         1997:

Ø  Establishment of the Pediatric HIV Clinic.

Ø  2006- designated as Regional Pediatric ART Centre

Ø  2011- Rechristened as “Pediatric Centre of Excellence for HIV Care”

Ø  Largest Pediatric ART Centre by  NACO (one of the seven national centres).

Ø  Nationally as well as internationally renowned as a centre of excellence for care of children with HIV.

 

·         1998:Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic was established.

 

·         1998:

Ø  Establishment of the Division of Neurology, Epilepsy and Developmental Pediatrics.

Ø  In 2013, Pediatric EEG services were started to diagnose various epilepsy syndromes and treat children with refractory epilepsy.

 

·         2010:

Ø  Establishment of division of Gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.

Ø  The Nutrition Rehabilitation and Research Training centre was started in UHC Dharavi.

Ø  In 2015 endoscopy services for children with gastroenterological disorders were started in collaboration with adult gastroenterology department.

Ø  Establishment of Pediatric Cardiology.

 

 

·           2012: Established Child Palliative Care Clinic.

 

·         2013:

Ø  Established “State-of-the-Art” Thalassemia Day Care Centre and Pediatric Centre of Excellence for HIV Care (PCOE).

Ø  Also Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Centre was started which catered to diagnosis, evaluation and remedial education of children withspecific learning disability.

 

·         2014:

Ø  Established a “State-of-the-Art” 20-bedded Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Ward through donor support (Cherish Life India Foundation).

Ø  This ward caters todiagnosis, evaluation and treatment of children with cancer.

 

·         2015:

Ø   Started Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in the Pediatric Hematology Division – first of its kind in public sector hospital.

Ø  We have completed 15 Bone marrow transplants till date successfully with zero cost to the families.

 

·         2016-

Ø   Autism Intervention Centrewas started in UHC Dharavi in collaboration with Hi media laboratories.

Ø  This centre offers comprehensive care to these children i.e diagnosis, evaluation, therapy and certification.

Ø  This is in joint collaboration with theDepartment of Occupational Therapy and Psychiatry, LTMMC and LTMGH.

 

·         2017-

Ø  Retirement of DrMamta V Manglani , Professor and Head , Pediatrics on 31st January 2017.

Ø  Welcome to Dr Radha Gulati Ghildiyal,Professor and Head Department of Pediatrics on 15th March 2017.


2018 –

Establishment of After Completion Chemotherapy in January 2018 by the Division of Pediatric Hematology- Oncology.

The ACT Clinic aims to provide ongoing care for children with malignancies even after they have completed chemotherapy. A thorough clinical, endocrine, psychologic and emotional evaluation of children with malignancies who have completed 2 years post chemotherapy is undertaken in this clinic and appropriate remediation is done in case of any abnormalities.

 

2019 –

The Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation which was started in the Pediatric Hematology Division

has performed 30 Bone Marrow Transplant till September 2019




Department Information

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2024 –

The Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation which was started in the Pediatric Hematology Division

  • performed 95 Bone Marrow Transplant till February 2024

Fellowship of National Board (FNB) in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology – Sanctioned 2 fellowship seats for the year 2024-25