For children, hospital becomes a park
Like most children, Sadia gets fidgety as soon as she finds out that her parents will take her to a hospital.
The long corridors filled with patients of various age groups, people walking around with a serious face and on top of that “unfriendly” medical equipment along with stretchers, beds and other furniture at every ward -- what's there to like about, Sadia often ponders.
And, can you actually blame the six-year-old?
Unfortunately for her, she had to get admitted to Dhaka Shishu Hospital four to five times a year, as she has been suffering from kidney disease for five years.
Things, however, turned out different for her during her latest visit this month.
A little modification at the hospital had turned the little one's anxiety into excitement.
These days, Sadia not only goes to the hospital smilingly, but actually insists her parents not to take her home soon.
The reason behind the change in her mindset is the newly-constructed children's park on the hospital premises.
There was an abandoned piece of land (around 10 kathas) inside the hospital, which the authorities renovated and built a park for child patients in February.
Since then, not just for Sadia, but fear of hospital for many children visiting the place have transformed into excitement.
The park is surrounded by trees of different sizes and shapes, but for children the main attraction is the fun-filled activities they can enjoy like slides, swings and see-saws.
“As soon as my daughter gets up in the morning, she starts pushing me to take her to the park,” said Rasheda Begum, mother of Sadia, who was admitted to the hospital in Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on October 13.
“She is no longer afraid of hospitals or doctors,” said a smiling Rasheda, a resident of Barishal. “This [playing at the park] is also helping her stay active.”
During a recent visit to the hospital, this correspondent also met eight-year-old Jhuma, a Mirpur resident. She was playing on a swing with a smile on her face. It was hard to imagine she is suffering from typhoid, and had been undergoing treatment for the last nine days.
“I made so many new friends here,” said a cheerful Jhuma as she swung back and forth.
Prof Abdul Aziz, director of the hospital, said children usually dislike going to hospitals as it is an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. “Also, they fear that there is a chance they might be given injections. So, they become impatient and want to go home,” he said.
But, a hospital with a friendly atmosphere such as a park where they can play with other children can help them overcome the fear.
Now, this hospital is no longer a scary or dull place for them. Playing and running around inside the park make them happy. Moreover, they can make new friends, which also keep them cheerful.
As a result, it has become relatively easier to treat them, without making them agitated, said doctors and nurses at the hospital.
“The park remains open from 4:00pm to 6:30pm. Instead of pestering parents to take them home, children now wait for the park to open in the afternoon,” grinned Prof Aziz.
They are planning to change the hospital's interior and exterior to make it more child-friendly, said Prof Aziz, adding that better healing is possible if the environment can be improved.
“We also want to build a garden so that a child patient thinks that he or she has come to a garden not a hospital, as soon as they walk in,” he added.