Vellore along with six other districts has got an additional government taluk hospital. The Health Department has upgraded 10 primary health centres (PHC) / upgraded PHCs and government non-taluk hospitals into government taluk hospitals after the places were made into taluks.
Currently, there are eight taluk hospitals, including the headquarters hospital at Walajah, and three non-taluk hospitals in Vellore district. The 12th GH has come up at Natrampalli on upgrading the existing upgraded PHC into a taluk hospital. This is in the wake of creating a taluk with Natrampalli as the headquarters last year.
Officials of the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services said the government order for upgrading the centres in 10 places across the State was issued last month. PHCs come under the control of Directorate of Public Health.
“The upgradation of existing centres into government taluk hospitals has come after the government made these places into revenue taluks. We have taken over all the 10 PHCs and upgraded PHCs from April 1. Funds have been sanctioned for buildings, equipment and manpower including doctors. These facilities will serve as additional health infrastructure for the public,” a senior official of directorate of medical services said.
In Vellore, the Joint Director of Medical and Rural Health Services had taken over the upgraded PHC at Natrampalli from April 1. It has now started to function as GH, officials said.
An official said with this, the hospital at Natrampalli will get more facilities on par with other taluk hospitals in the district and will start functioning as a full-fledged GH. The upgraded PHC was also doing well in terms of deliveries.
Manpower
“More manpower will be provided for the Natrampalli GH. We will take steps to increase number of deliveries here, and also provide facilities for paediatric care, including setting up of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,” the official said.
Totally, the Health department has allocated nearly Rs. 22.14 crore for the upgradation, including for 184 posts for all 10 hospitals.
Of this, 14 posts have been sanctioned for Natrampalli GH including two assistant surgeons and five staff nurses. The other posts being nursing superintendent grade-II, chief pharmacist, lab technician, physiotherapist and maternity assistant.
On being upgraded into a GH, the facility has been sanctioned additional 30 beds for various wards including 10 each for male and female wards, five for post operative male and female wards and five for paediatric ward. The facility already has 30 beds.
In addition, officials said they will implement the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme at the Natrampalli GH, provide facilities to start all surgeries. The required buildings and equipment will also be provided.
The other centres that have been upgraded into taluk hospitals are : the PHCs located at Kollarpatti and Sundakamuthur, Coimbatore district, the upgraded PHC at Manmangalam in Karur, non taluk hospital at Illuppur and PHC at Karambakudi, Pudukottai district, PHC at Vazhapadi in Salem, PHC at Kalasapakkam in Tiruvannamalai, upgraded PHC at Uthukuli and PHC at Madathukulam in Tiruppur.
