Libraries will be set up in maternity wards of all district head-quartered government women and children’s hospitals by Ramco Cements and The Hindu Group, as part of their corporate social responsibility activities, with the support of the Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Department.
The first such library was inaugurated at the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children on Friday, by Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar.
The Minister said that reading books would help in the emotional well-being of antenatal women, who could be will be under stress during their pregnancy. He said that the government would provide full support to the setting up of similar libraries in all districts.
Sridhar Aranala, vice president, sales and distribution, The Hindu Group Publishing Pvt Ltd, said that each hospital will be given books in around 120 titles, primarily dealing with nutrition, child welfare, women empowerment, emotional well-being and self-motivation. He said that the project will be implemented soon in all the districts with the support of Ramco Cements.
The Health Minister said that Tamil Nadu was on par with developed countries when it came to maternal and child health. He said that 99.9 % of the deliveries in Tamil Nadu were institutional deliveries, of which 65 to 70 % took place in government hospitals. “Our neighbouring State of Kerala is often hailed as a leading State in healthcare. However, only 30 % of deliveries took place in government hospitals,” he said. He said that the libraries will be a valuable addition to the number of initiatives already being implemented by the State government towards antenatal care.
The library was inaugurated in the presence of S. Raghunathan, Deputy General Manager, Ramco Cements. K.L. Malarvizhi, Director, Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children, said that the hospital will strive to ensure that the library was put to good use.
