The Hindu : Front Page : More people visiting primary health centres

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 05, 2007
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More people visiting primary health centres

R. Sujatha

— PHOTO: V. GANESAN

NUTRITIOUS FOOD: Pregnant women are served food cooked by a local self-help group at a PHC in Budur on Tuesday.

CHENNAI: Funds have been allotted to 30 Primary Health Centres, including 10 in Tiruvallur district, for upgrading infrastructure to enable them to provide round-the-clock services.

Commissioner for Maternal, Child Health and Welfare Apoorva told mediapersons, who were taken on a tour of various facilities around Chennai on Tuesday, that more people now were seeking medical help in the PHCs. Pregnant mothers regularly visited ante-natal clinics, had access to modern medical equipment, improved laboratory and were provided nutritious snacks and lunch.

Women delivered of babies in the hospital will also have the opportunity to watch their favourite television serial.

Television sets have been installed in wards and in the O.P. sections in health sub centres.

The PHCs and sub-health centres in Tiruvallur district receive anywhere between 250 to 300 patients a day. A doctor and nurse are now on call round-the-clock in the PHCs.

At the peri-urban PHC, such as the one at Naravarikuppam in Red Hills nine women were delivered of babies since December 1. Doctors here said the number of deliveries increased from 35 last year to 65 this year. Around one or two per cent so far tested positive for HIV/AIDS. In the remote PHC at Budur, a child is born almost every day.

A village sub-centre such as the one at Pandikavanur, which caters to a population of about 2,000, about 110 patients are received at its weekly outreach programme. Counselling and testing for HIV/AIDS is offered.

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