Frontpage Insights: The hospital has soundproof rooms, family area, healing garden along with cafe lounge to speed up patient recovery.

Mumbai | Large rooms with natural light, soothing color palettes, design that feels close to nature, anti-bacterial paint and a healing garden… you won't think it's a hospital. Hospitals nowadays are rapidly incorporating special elements in the architecture of their rooms for the health of the patients and their quick recovery.

Easter DM has kept the design of the rooms simple for the convenience of the patients and keeping in mind that they do not have to walk around the room much. Large windows and skylights let in plenty of light. Anti-bacterial paint and low VOC (strong smelling chemicals) are applied in the room. Apart from that, the greenery in the room has been taken care of. This makes the patient feel less lonely. Anil Vinayak, COO, Fortis Group, says that for the emotional strength of the patients, they have also focused on the family area in the room. The design has been kept modular for patient convenience. The rooms are soundproofed and painted in light pastels to create a sense of tranquility.

Paras Hospital in Gurugram also has spacious rooms of 950 square feet. So that patients do not feel panic. In Max Hospital the light can be dimmed by the patient himself. Facilities like nurse call are available at the bed itself. Due to hygiene and safety, a private hospital in Gurugram has installed hand signal operated (faucet) and doors. On the benefits of greenery in hospitals, Anand Muthu Krishnan, Deputy ED, CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, says that green hospitals reduce water demand by 60% and energy costs by 40%. Sahyadri Hospital has provided billing desk facility on every floor. Hence patients and family members who come alone do not have to be disturbed again and again. Homecare services for elderly patients have also been launched. While Jupiter Hospital has installed a good air filtration system to reduce airborne infections. Complete records of patients are maintained electronically.

A natural looking courtyard and plants improve mental health Hospitals are starting to have healing gardens, landscaped (natural looking) courtyards and indoor plants to enhance the sense of satisfaction and connect patients to the outside world. It creates a good environment for patients, doctors and visitors. Jahangir Hospital focuses on mental health and places open courtyards and greenery. C.K. Birla has teamed up with partners like Barista to create comfortable lounges with dining facilities, so that patients don't suffer during long waits. A large private hospital has attempted to manage monitoring and communication facilities with Internet of Things devices.