Dr. M.Vijayalakshmi is the Managing Director and Chief Medical Officer of AllForKids Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic in Tripunithura. She did her M.B.B.S from Coimbatore Medical College and M.D in Pediatrics from B.J Medical College, Pune before moving to the United States. She did her M.D in Pediatrics and Adolescent medicine at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles, USA and completed her Board Certification with the American Board of Pediatrics. She has practised in the Long Beach (Los Angeles) area for many years and was an admitting physician with Miller Childrens hospital, Long Beach, California and Los Alamitos Medical Center, Los Alamitos, California; She was also an Assistant Clinical Professor with the University of California. She is licensed by the Medical Board of California and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has also obtained her Diploma in Allergy and Asthma from CMC, Vellore. In an interview to Sreeni K.R, Dr. M.Vijayalakshmi, gives a glimpse of Pediatrics and shares her experience on how children with developmental and behavioral problems from birth to adolescence can be treated by consultation and evaluation. Exactly what does Paediatrics deal with? The purview of Pediatrics (Paediatrics) includes the physical and psychosocial growth, development, and health of an individual. It begins prior to the birth of a baby when conception is apparent and continues throughout infancy, childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, when the growth and developmental processes are generally completed. The responsibility of pediatrics may therefore begin with the foetus and continues through 18 years of age. What are the reasons for having given your hospital a different outlook? For most parents and their children, the experience of seeing a doctor is generally not a pleasant one. You have to either wait in line in a crowded hospital lobby or you have to wait in front of the house of a doctor. Neither is a pleasant or healthy experience. We decided to really design our clinic a ‘kid-friendly’ one both in terms of its ambience and the customer service. Also, the general association that a child has with a doctor , a clinic or a hospital is not a pleasant one, we wanted to change that. What is your aim? Our objective is to combine the best of pediatric care including the practice guidelines, medical ethics, quality of care and the customer service principles from world’s best service companies to provide a very positive experience to our patrons. Our first location is a prototype, we plan to expand to multiple locations and to inpatient care using the same principles. Our focus is on quality of care and customer experience and not volumes. Any psychological reason why you have designed the hospital as a “kids home” with lot of books and fun ? As mentioned above: we want the kids to think positively about a visit to the doctor or the clinic. This is particularly important when the focus is on preventive care. What kind of changes do you want to bring regarding treatment?  Our focus is on preventive care (prevention is always easier and more cost-effective), parent participation in care (spend the time to educate the parents and guide them), continuity of care (we keep elaborate details on each visit using electronic medical records), employing information technology to better guide parents (e.g. vaccination reminders, health tips, newsletters) and proactive follow up care on each visit. All this ensures improved quality of care, better treatment outcomes and improved patient satisfaction. You have given a different dress code in your hospital, whether it is for the doctor or the nursing staff.How does it psychologically affect the the children? White is not the favorite color of my kids and most children that I know...... What are the highlights of your hospital? * Appointment based care – Escape from the crowds and the waits. * Personal follow up by your doctor on each case. * Ample time is spent by the doctors on each visit , 15-45 minutes. * Neat and kid friendly settings. * Quality of care according to international standards. * Technology provides continuity of care and facilitates closer interaction between parents and doctors. What do you focus on? Ans: Our focus is on preventive care, we provide age-appropriate checkups and evaluations. We do care for children who are sick. AllforKids provides all age-appropriate vaccinations. Other services offered include Allergy and Asthma care, Behaviour and Growth assessment, and Obesity care and diet counselling. Food habits seem to be one reason for a lot of diseases among kids. What type of food would you prescribe for the kids? The four points that parents should focus on when thinking about their child’s food are Quality, Quantity, Balance and Variety. The food recommendations vary from age to age. However, one can not but emphasize on the importance of a 5-a-day routine for vegetables and fruits (5 servings per day), adequate amount of proteins, and the right amount of carbohydrates. Fats, sugar and salt should be used sparingly. Parents should guide their children to take a balanced diet instead of just focussing on how much food they eat. Intake of processed foods (like bakery items) should be minimal. What is the awareness level about the need of wellness checkups for the children in the state? Minimal, at best. In western countries it is much more prevalent. For example, in United States, the children should compulsorily have a certificate from a pediatrician or health care provider before returning to school for the year. I find it very surprising that even insurance companies do not cover for outpatient visits, regarding preventive care for children. In US and in most developed countries the insurance companies promote preventive care as their data clearly indicates that spending resources on prevention is multi-fold better than the alternative. To give you another example: Vaccine-preventable diseases like Chickenpox and Hepatitis-A exist even among children of middle and upper socio economic strata in an educated society like Kerala due to inadequate vaccine coverage. At what age group do you advise consultancy? We care from newborn babies up to 18 years of age. What is your advice to parents to keep children healthy and happy? Here are some tips: Love but let go, Lead by example; Kids thrive when there is routine; Read with them every day-it is a gift for their life time;Complement children on their achievements;Exercise is important for children’s growth and development; Keep your children up-to-date on preventive care checkups and vaccinations;Encourage healthy eating;Talk to your kids regularly on their needs and problems; and promote resilience in your children.