|
 TTK Hospital is 25
The T T Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation, a pioneering institution in the treatment for addiction, popularly known as TTK Hospital, has completed 25 years in the area of addiction management services.
Started by Shanthi Ranganathan in a two-room, 600 sq ft premises in 1980, it has grown into a full-fledged hospital spread over an area of 46,000 sq ft and has helped 18,400 families till date.
When brown sugar addiction became an issue of concern and the drug addicts needed long-term care, an ‘After Care Centre’, under the leadership of Maya Varadarajan, was started. So far, 1,200 patients have undergone treatment at the centre.
In 1989, a few teachers in Manjakkudi, a tiny village in Thanjavur district, expressed their concern about alcoholism to parents of their students. TTK Hospital made a paradigm shift in their approach and developed a cost-effective treatment programme available at their doorsteps. Shanthi Ranganathan said they have been able to help 2,300 families in six villages to rebuild and lead meaningful lives.
TEJAS - a vocational training centre to help in the recovery of patients and their families, was established in the year 2000 to provide computer education and a tailoring course.
TTK Hospital believes in sharing its rich experience and expertise, Shanthi said. So far, 1,400 training programmes have been conducted benefiting more than 20,000 participants.
T T Jagannathan, chairman, TTK group of companies, said they believed in reaching out to those in need. "We are very happy to be doing work in an area which is critical to the well-being and development of quite a number of families affected by the problem of addiction," he added.
J Srinivasan, CEO, TTK-LIG and treasurer of the foundation, said, "There are two institutions, amidst us today - one, the TTK Hospital and the other is Dr Shanti Ranganathan herself. The hospital was able to treat addicts and rehabilitate thousands of families and Dr Shanti Ranganathan developed a methodology for treatment of addiction and created sound systems and documentation through which the treatment is standardised in the hospital. She then researched to make treatment available in the rural areas at their doorsteps, at affordable costs. Today, the whole gamut of treatment from admission to rehabilitation is available as a science, thanks to the relentless effort and hardwork by Dr Shanti Ranganathan and her team."
He added that such specialised knowledge and experience in a unique area should be easily available to the benefit of lakhs and lakhs of addicts in our country. "Therefore, the thought that occurs to me is that a well-equipped training institution to train doctors, nurses, psychiatrists and relevant administrators in this field should be established, so that similar hospitals can be created through funding from philanthropists, international institutions, corporates and social welfare boards, to take the benefits to every affected person in our country".
TTK Hospital has been recognised nationally and internationally Some of the honours are:
-
Government of India offers grants to provide free treatment at the centre as well as the camp sites.
-
They have developed several training manuals for the UNODC, undertook peer-led intervention projects towards creating awareness on HIV.
-
Colombo Plan, yet another UN Agency, utilised their expertise to prepare several manuals for the Asian region and also to conduct training programmes for women counsellors from the South Asian Region.
-
European Commission & DOH have provided financial as well as technical assistance to establish the After Care Centre, Vocational Training Centre and the Outreach Centre for IV drug users.
-
They are collaborating with UNESCO for creating awareness among self-help group women and marginalised youth in the rural areas.
National and international awards:
-
Padmashree award was given in 1992 to Dr Shanthi Ranganathan by the Government of India
-
United Nations Vienna Civil Society Award in 1999. On the first year of introduction, the award was presented to Dr. Shanthi Ranganathan by the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan
-
Colombo Plan presented an award to the TTK Hospital at Colombo in 2003 for providing outstanding services in the field of addiction
The plans of TTK Hospital
-
TTK Hospital has just launched a massive awareness programme in four areas viz. Tiruvarur, Karamadai, Namakkal and Thanjavur. Says Dr Shanthi Ranganathan, “We will be contacting 20,000 self-help group women and 4,000 marginalised youth through our programme. We create awareness about alcoholism, HIV-AIDS, hazards of tobacco use among the youth and prevention of violence and suicide for women. This programme will be for two years.”
-
Recently, the centre has been made the Regional Learning Centre for South Asian Countries to demonstrate the efficacy of low cost community care and support. (designated by the UNODC).
RR
|
