Lucknow, April 3 : The King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow will soon get a paediatric endoscopy machine that will help in treatment of children with gastrointestinal problems. The work of setting up a paediatric endoscopy unit has been started in the paediatrics department with a grant of Rs 55 lakh from the state government. The KGMU had sent a proposal to the state government to set up a paediatric endoscopy unit, given the increasing problems of the gastrointestinal tract in children, such as difficulty in swallowing, weight loss or loss of appetite, pain in upper abdominal, or chest pain that does not appear to be related to the child's heart, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The department of paediatrics informed that every week they receive around 20 children who require endoscopy. Majority are referred to Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences or Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences for procedure. In cases of emergency, KGMU's gastroenterology department performs endoscopy of them from the same unit used for adults after changing the tube of the machine. "With the installation of the machine here, treatment of children would be possible within the department," the KGMU spokesman Dr Sudhir Singh said. Highlighting the difference between adult and paediatric endoscopy machines, the officials said there are substantial differences between paediatric and adult endoscopy beyond size, including age-related pathophysiology and different spectrum of diseases in children. This is a special type of machine with a small, flexible tube inserted into the child's abdomen. KGMU spokesperson said: "The process of installing an endoscopy machine in the paediatric department has begun. The machine is likely to start in three months." /IANS