KING EDWARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Background History

The Social Service Department of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital of the Bombay Municipal Corporation was started with the appointment of two trained medical social workers in September, 1954 – expanding to 16 MSWs by 1994, working under the supervision of the Preventive & Social Medicine Department. The last four decades of social work at KEM Hospital has established the need for qualified trained social workers as an integral part of effective medical care.

History

On World Health day, 7th April 1994, the Social Service Department of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, surfaced as an independent department with Ms. Daksha Javeri, as the its head. The strength of MSWs has increased from sixteen to twenty – catering services to 54 Medical/Surgical Units of KEM Hospital.

The multifaceted role of a professional medical social worker is generally not well recognised amongst health care personnel. With the help of case study, group therapy, community work and social research, it has been possible to enhance effective prompt and needy medical care in the hospital and after care in the community. The complimentary service of a medical social worker today aims at prevention of diseases, preservation and the promotion of mental/physical health of people in general. Nevertheless, it also intends to underline the importance of ” MEDICAL SOCIAL SERVICE ” is an “ALL TIME NEED” in health disease.

Professional social work is concerned with interaction between people with their social environment and the ability of people to accomplish their tasks, alleviate distress or realize their aspirations and values. When a patient is affected by a medical problems, it influences his family and his social network. In other words, the illness cannot be treated in isolation. In India, the family is very closed knit. So, culturally the emphasis is on the family, and not on the individual alone. Today, the scientific approach of social work interventions offers tremendous scope to define and design the health care needs to help the sick and disabled people.

Increasing industrialization and urbanization has weakened the family structure in many ways. The disjointed family system has seen the birth of nuclear families. Needless to say that the much needed psychological, emotional, economic and social support to an ailing individual has become the cornerstone of social work intervention by the medical social worker. With the infinite teething problems at the time of inception and further on, we have struggled to put our best foot forward to overcome most of them and impart timely services. Today, we are happy and content to play a pivotal role in patient care.

Sections Units Branches

Staff

Facilities, Equipments & Special services

Services

On an average, about 8000 new patients along with their families are given assistance by the Social Service Department, every year.

Donations, approximately to the tune of Rs.5,72,63,836 was arranged by the Social Service Department from April 2015 to October 2015, for the purpose of providing medical aid, surgical expenses for kidney transplant, Heart surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic Inplants, Prosthesis, investigations like MRI, CT Scan, special Blood investigation etc. for the patients of KEM Hospital.

Supportive :

• Counseling.
• Medical/Surgical expenses to deserving patients.
• Provision of nutritional supplements to needy patients.
• Free lunch facility to deserving inpatient relations.

Rehabilitation :

• In hospital service and after-care rehabilitation services to the Physically/Mentally and Socially affected individuals.

Preventive :

• Immunization, Health check-up camps, mass awareness on various different diseases.

Promotive :

• Therapeutic handicraft sessions with patients of the orthopedic department, cultural programs, festival celebrations.

Recreational :

• Mobile library for inpatients, Toy library for pediatric inpatients of the hospital; puppet shows; self-entertainment group sessions for inpatients.

Emergency :

• For Accidents/Natural Calamities/Communal riots/Bomb Blasts/Hospital, employees strike/Epidemic.

Annual Report

• Annual Report 2021

New Activities

Activities 2016-2017

• Free Breakfast and packed lunch for relatives of indoor patients.
• Total patient-specific donations collected by CODs for patient’s surgeries and medications Rs 7,01,77,900/- (Rupees Seven Crore one lakh seventy-seven thousand and nine ninety only).
• 5 wheel chairs and 10 oxygen cylinders attached stretchers at EMS.
• 6tricycles for Department of Orthopaedics.
• Garden Benches, installed near gate no 3 and skin OPD.
• Phillips ECG Effgia machine at the Department of Cardiology.
• Water Cooler at the entrance of multi- story building.
• Felicitation of donors on ‘Foundation Day’.
• Workshop on ‘Communication Skill’ for CDO’s of all Government and Semi-Government Hospital.
• Panel talk for staff of KEM Hospital on ‘Suicides among youth and Blue whale App’ at MLT.
• Drawing Competition for the indoor pediatric patient.

In April 2015 –

a) Prepared banner of the Social Service Deptt.

b) On the occasion of WHO Day , health education cum exhibition on WHO theme was organized for patients, thier relatives and staff of various OPDs of KEM Hospital.

In May 2015 – Two programs were organized simultaneously. –

a) Health exhibition cum awareness talk on “Organ Donation” followed by organ donation song by transplant patient of KEM Hospital (In casualty).

b) Inaugural function of 25 stretcher trolleys and 16 unfolding wheel chairs arranged through donation of an amount of Rs.2 lakhs for tiding over the crisis in Casualty of KEM wherein for above 2 programs Guest of Honor was The Director Dr.Smt.Nagda and Dean Dr.Supe. trustees, donors, patients, and their relatives attended the function.

In June 2015 –

Two programs on organ donation cum awareness talk with help of exhibition organized at

a) Ortho.OPD and various OPDs. For patients and their relatives and various categories of staff.

b) In Naigaon Community Wherein BDD Chawl residents and health workers of the community were covered.

In July 2015 –

On the occasion of WHO Day for the “Elderly”, the social service department organized the “Elderly Abuse” talk for Geriatric OPD patients, relatives, and staff.

In August 2015 –

a) 20 unfolding wheelchairs arranged through donation costing Rs.2 lakhs for Casualty dept.

b) Many new donors have been tapped who have started giving donations to patients of KEM.

Activities

Visits :

• More than two hundred collateral visits are made in person by the M.S.W.s of Social Service Department, for the purpose of treatment and rehabilitation.

Educational :

• Health Exhibitions, Street Plays, Clinical Meetings of Social Service Department holding case presentations and group work presentations, Lectures, Guest Lectures, Seminars, Workshops, Film Shows etc.
• It is observed that often illiterate people find it difficult to get the message through exhibition posters or write-ups. Hence, more street plays are performed on various health-related topics.

Participation in Teaching Programmes :

• Social work students from College of Social work from Mumbai/outside Mumbai.
• Medical students.
• Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy students.
• Nursing.
• Interns.
• N.S.S. students.
• Para professional.
• Volunteers.

Seminar/Workshop :

• A seminar on Psychological Social and Ethical Issues of Adoption.
• “Review of Burns Cases” based on case studies.
• “Role of Professional Medical Social Worker in the Hospital setting”.

Publication :

For the first time a Handbook on ” MEDICAL SOCIAL WORK” published by Social Service Department of KEM Hospital. The handbook is used as a text by the teaching institutes of Social work; Institute for Hospital Management; Bombay Municipal Corporation for the purpose of policy making for Professional Social Workers; as role model by Voluntary organizations.

New Services Launched

In April 2015 –

As per need of time – First in-service training program organized for development of staff of SSD on “Organ Donation” Wherein expert speakers were invited, with a view to update CDOs, to conduct health exhibition cum awareness talk on Organ Donation in various OPDs of KEM Hospital.

In July 2015 –

Inaugural function of Trupti – a place for relatives to eat was organized, S.S.deptt, got the place renovated through donation , and , started special service, for First time in Kem of providing free breakfast to the 200 relative of indoor patients on regular basis everyday morning between 7 and 8 a.m to start with through donation. During the function Guest of Honor was The Director Dr.Smt.Nagada and Dean Dr.Supe. Trustees, donors, relatives of patients. & various staff attended the function.

Previous Services Launched

Considering the need of time, place and people, Daksha Javeri, Head of Social Service Department along with two other Medico Social Workers have started HIV/AIDS counselling to the patients and their relatives.

HIV counselling involves the counsellors to help the patient talk about his/her feelings and to explore areas that are not easily spoken about. It means speaking with each client about death and dying, drinking/drug habits, speaking with some about prostitution, homophobia, abortion, lack of medical resources, cultural values, and religious and spiritual beliefs, and it means grappling with such issues as racism, sexism, injustice, poverty, children’s and women’s rights. Most of these topics evoke intense emotions for those discussing them.

It is the goal of counsellor to offer pre and post test counselling and partner notification, that promotes medical management, risk reduction and personal responsibility, that is consistent with the Social Service Department of KEM Hospital.

• Develop a capacity to handle the myriad of feeling that are evoked, by providing counselling related to dying, death, terminal illness, and other potential losses.
• Develop the necessary knowledge base in HIV infection and AIDS.
• Appropriate follow up.
• HIV/AIDS awareness lectures to the nursing and labour staff of wards of KEM Hospital.
• Educational group work services are started for motivating patients relatives for Blood donation.
• Educational cum therapeutic group work services started for the O.P.D. patients of hypertension; and Inpatient’s of Burns Unit of the Hospital, and many more.
• Inservice training to the M.S.W.s of Social Service department with a view to update knowledge pertaining to Health related issues.

For Student

For Patient

Other

Divisions

The various sections of the department include :

• Blood Bank
• Paediatric Medicine/Surgery
• Gynecology and Obstetrics
• General Medicine
• Specialised Medicine
  1. Hypertension
  2. Renal disease
  3. Haematology
  4. Gastroentrology
  5. Endocrinology & Diabetic
  6. Neurology
  7. Skin
  8. Chest and Asthama
  9. Rhematoid Arthritis
  10. Geriatric
  11. Cardiology
• General Surgery
• Specialised Surgery
  1. Cardiac Surgery
  2. Neurosurgery
  3. Urology
  4. E.N.T.
  5. Ophthalmology
  6. Plastic Surgery and Burns
  7. Dental
• Psychiatric

Referrals to the Department

Patients are referred to the Social Service Department by Medical Professionals :-

• Nursing
• Para clinical professionals
• Charity organisations
• Voluntary organisations
• Often self referral by patients and their relatives.

Treatment Procedure

• Social evaluation of individual patients in terms of their ability to participate in treatment process.
• Interpretation of the nature of the illness to the patient and his family on an individual or group basis.
• Visits to patients home, school, work place etc. for assessment of the Psycho Social Situation to help the patient and his/her family to cope up with the illness, prevent aggravation and further spread of the illness and for rehabilitation.
• Counselling aiming at helping the patient and family to deal with the psychological and social problems arising out of the illness and influencing perpetuation of the problem, prognosis, treatment process and rehabilitation where indicated.
• Environmental modification through work with employers, school personnel, the police, family, neighbour to enable the patient get maximum benefit from the treatment process.
• Organizing therapeutic, educational and recreational activities for groups of patients and their relatives, volunteers and other agencies.
• Placement and institutionalization of destitute and other patients, as and when necessary.
• Follow up of the client system to ensure full utilization of services extended at various levels.
• Referring patients and their families to other social welfare agencies as and when necessary an maintaining follow up through meetings with the referred agency.