The Hospital Safety Committee was formed in 2021 with the aim to prevent and reduce risks, errors and harm that occur during provision of care. The basis of Hospital Safety is to continually improve ourselves based on the learnings from near-miss errors and no-harm events. One of the ways to create awareness and engage employees in the process of increasing patient and employee safety within the institution is to celebrate Hospital Safety Awareness Week (15th to 18th March) with four days packed with informative programmes.

15th March: The theme – Nutrition and Exercise for Fitness

A painting contest to educate everyone on the theme “Eat Healthy and Stay Healthy” and A session on ‘Tips for zero oil cooking’ conducted by Dr. N. Anuradha, Principal, Elite School of Optometry, and Dr. Sumita Agarkar, Deputy Director, Dept. of paediatric Ophthalmology, was very well-received by the health conscious SN family. A yoga session to teach a few breathing exercises invigorated everyone at the end of a busy day.

16th March: The second day’s theme was “Health is Wealth”

Starting off with a health clinic for employees in the morning, the much-awaited event – the pattimandram on “Parambariyam vs Naveena Unnavu” was a spicy topic. Team Parambariyam comprised of Dr. Mani Baskaran, Deputy Director –Glaucoma Services, Dr. Niveditha Narayanan, Senior Consultant – C U Shah Cornea Services, Ms. Saranya .S, Microbiology lab, Mr. Jayachandran. D, Department of Patient Services and Team Naveena Unnavu comprised of Dr. Kavitha Kalaivani, Senior Consultant, Paediatric Ophthalmology Services, with Dr. N. Anuradha, Principal, Elite School of Optometry, Ms. Sudha Mohan, Manager – HR, Ms. Janani, Optometrist, respectively. The event was judged by Dr. T. S. Surendran. The teams were evenly matched and the official winner was declared as Team Parambariyam.

Dr. Nisar Sonam Poonam, Associate Consultant, Department of Orbit, Oculoplasty, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Services, provided very helpful “Wabi – Sabi” beauty-related tips to beat the summer heat. Aarogya Chennai/ Suswastha Kolkata mobile photography competition was conducted simultaneously.

17th March: The third day’s theme was “Safety First is Safety Always”

A Treasure Hunt using Safety Clues started from MAHYCO Block -1st Floor, led to the fourth floor, then ended on the first floor of V. G. Block. In this interesting game, ninety nine employees participated to search for the safety equipment, which are kept at various floors and used during medical emergencies.

The annual “Horror Show – Spot the Mistakes” was an educational opportunity for ninety one employees to brush up on their knowledge of finding out errors not only in the hospital but also in general safety management (wearing helmet, no drunk driving, avoiding going over the speed limit, etc.).

The session on “Tips on Investment” by Dr. Kumaresh. B. S., helped our employees in sound financial planning for their later years.

The valedictory function was hosted by Dr. V. V. Jaichandran with Dr. Girish S. Rao, President, officiating along with Dr. Ronnie George, President & Director of Research, Director of Glaucoma Services, and Dr. Pramod Bhende, Director, Vitreoretinal Services. Dr. V. V. Jaichandran presented the annual report for the year – March 2022 to Feb 2023.

The Rolling Trophy for the Best Safety – Department was shared by Dept of Nursing and Dept. of Medical Records.

The Rolling Trophy for Best Safety – Branch was won by SN Main.

Mr. Senthil Kumar. M – Department of Finance – IP Billing was awarded as the Best Star performers (Male) of the year 2022 – 2023; while Ms. V. Kowsalya – Department of Nursing – Staff Nurse, was awarded as the Best star performers (Female) of the year 2022- 2023.

The best 7 catches of near miss (Mar’ 2022 – Feb’ 2023) were identified and the severity of the incidents were briefed by Dr. VVJ. All the 7 staff were recognized with prizes.

Dr. Girish S. Rao, Dr. Pramod Bhende, and Dr. Ronnie George gave away the prizes to the Star Safety campaigners and the winners of the competitions.