Private hospital in Kohima experiments with serving course meals to patients

Morung Express News
Kohima | September 18

In April this year, a private hospital in Kohima started serving course meals to its admitted patients with the aim to guide and educate patients and their attendants on eating right and to follow a nutritional diet plan. 

The initiative at the Oking Hospitalin Kohima included five courses per patient at Rs 600 per day, inclusive of tea, breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner served between 3-4 hours interval. 

This, in contrast, was new for folks in Kohima or the states, who usually prefer home-cooked food of delicacies that suit the recovering person or care givers. Likewise, the practice is uncommon or rare even for most private hospitals. 

The initiative has undoubtedly received positive and negative responses and almost 5 months since the start of the initiative, the hospital authority in an interview with The Morung Express shared the outcome so far. 

Negative & Positive responses
“Some people who are fussy with food, says they don’t like the packed food served to them. Some think it is expensive! But some, especially, those who come from outside the district and donot have places or kitchen to go and prepare food, have the welcomed the step and consider it convenient and helpful for both patients and attendants,” maintained the Managing Director Dr Vikethonyü Kesiezie.

“The dietician came once and gave us information on various foods, but the quality is disappointing,” a patient’s attendant pointed, adding that they were not aware of the paid service. 

Similarly, another attendant noted that it is rather ‘imposing and expensive’ when it can be availed as a preference or need basis. “The food they give is not preferable to feed our patient.” 

However, one attendant said it is convenient for them as they cannot keep preparing food for the patient in interval given the space and situation in the hospital. 

“But the food quality can improve.”
On such concerns, thehospital authority claimed that it is “making efforts to make the food as palatable, clean, cheap and balanced as possible with the intension to ease the burden of patient attendant.”

“We are trying to look at the loopholes and trying to see where we can improve our services,”the authority supplemented. 

Adequate nutrition essential part of clinical care 
Ensuring adequate nutrition for patients is an essential part of clinical care and this is the broad reason of the new initiative, as per the hospital authority.

It further pointed out that hospitals in other states restrict bringing outside food inside hospital premises for patients or attendants as the same is not considered healthy for infirm persons. 

“Our people bring all sorts of food in the hospital and the whole ward if left with stench of food. For some patients, it is not very inviting when they are recovering,” it contented. 

“When someone is sick we want to give them ‘good food’,” it added while categorising it is a common practice among our people.

40-45% diseases among patients due to lifestyle 
Meanwhile, observing that 40-45% of diseases among patients in the hospital are lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetics, renal, liver failure, alcoholism, the hospital authority maintained that these diseases require more ‘guided diet plan.’

“One should know that, how much patients with lifestyle diseases need to take meat or rice or the correct quantity to not intensify or give rise to other health conditions and not feeding patients through our conscience.”

Accordingly, the role of a nutritionist/dietician, who critically examine and educate on the diet plan, comes into play, it maintained. 

In this regard, the hospital authority informed that the dietician visits every patient twice a day and give a diet chart and provides consultation. 

 “If they have any issues about certain food, the food is modified,” shared Dietician Anose Pusa.

When asked if there is restriction for outside food, the hospital informed that “a time may come when we can become stricter with outside food and in written as any other hospital, bringing food inside hospital premise is restricted.”

“But for now we are being flexible. We also have to understand the sentiments of our patients,” it added. 

“Whether you bring or not, we are providing for any patients admitted here,” it added. “Food is provided to all patient occupants minus patients under critical care ranging from course meals to tube feeding according to their medical condition with proper instruction.”

The hospital authority later informed that it will come up with booklet on dietician chart to guide patients on diet and nutrition and the contents and composition of nutrients in the food one commonly eat.