Bengaluru, June 10: Healthcare leaders, psychologists and specialists unite at Manipal Hospital Yelahanka-led symposium to champion integrated healing. In a landmark step towards transforming patient care beyond diagnosis and treatment, Manipal Hospital Yelahanka successfully hosted Child Life & Beyond – A Symposium on Integrated Healing, India’s first-ever symposium dedicated to Child Life services and holistic healthcare.
The event brought together leading paediatricians, psychologists, healthcare administrators, nursing professionals, Child Life specialists, and healthcare leaders from across disciplines to discuss an important but often overlooked aspect of healing and paediatric care – the emotional experiences of patients and families during illness and hospitalisation.
While modern medicine has made remarkable advances in treating disease, experts at the symposium highlighted that fear, anxiety, uncertainty and emotional distress continue to affect children, families, caregivers and even healthcare workers throughout the care journey. The symposium focused on bridging this gap by exploring ways to integrate emotional and psychosocial support alongside medical care.
Opening the symposium, Dr. Sushma Gopalan, Lead Consultant Child Life Services, Manipal Hospital Yelahanka, reflected on the vision behind the initiative and said, “Every meaningful movement begins with someone asking, ‘What if we could do this differently?’ Child Life emerged from that question. We have become exceptionally good at treating illness, but healing also requires helping people navigate fear, uncertainty and change. Our goal is to create emotionally safer healthcare spaces where children, families and patients feel understood, supported and empowered throughout their journey.”
The symposium featured thought-provoking discussions on emotional wellbeing in paediatric healthcare, changing family systems, psychosocial dimensions of illness, leadership perspectives on holistic healing, and the integration of Child Life and psychology within healthcare settings. Healthcare experts emphasised that emotional support should not be viewed as an optional add-on, but as an integral part of quality patient care.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Chetan Ginigeri, Director – Paediatrics and Paediatric Super-Speciality Services, Manipal Hospital Yelahanka, reinforced the need to view healing through a wider lens. “Healing a child means healing the family and sustaining the caregivers who make that healing possible. At Manipal Hospitals, we are building a care ecosystem that goes far beyond the physical dimension of treatment one that holds the child, the parent, and the healthcare worker with equal intentionality. Child Life & Beyond is our commitment to that full circle of care. Because when every person in that circle feels seen and supported, outcomes don’t just improve they transform,” he noted.
A unique feature of the symposium was the diversity of stakeholders present under one roof. Doctors, psychologists, nurses, educators, healthcare leaders, Child Life specialists and support teams came together to collectively discuss how healthcare systems can evolve to better serve patients and families. Joining the discussions were several distinguished healthcare leaders and changemakers, including, respected healthcare leaders and changemakers including Dr. Kshitija Kulkarni, Dr. Jagdish Chinappa, Dr. Ravi Shankar Swamy, Dr. Harish Kumar H, Dr. Rashmi D. Huddar, Dr. Srinivas Raju, Dr. Namratha Upadhya, Dr. Gnanam Aram, Dr. Salim Khatib, Dr. Aravind Anand, Dr. R. Vasumathi, Dr. Vigraanth Bapu and Dr. Sudarshan H. L. Their participation reflected a growing openness within healthcare towards collaborative and integrated models of healing.
The symposium concluded with a shared commitment to continue advancing integrated healing practices across healthcare settings. Organised under the leadership of Dr. Chetan Ginigeri and Dr. Sushma Gopalan, along with organising committee members and child life specialists, Ms. Laya R., Ms. Bernice M. Rani, Ms. Ashra Fathima and Ms. Ishika Mittal, the event reinforced a powerful message: healing becomes most effective when medicine and humanity work together.