The Coimbatore Corporation Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in Neelikonampalayam, Ward 58, functions out of a community hall. The Corporation runs the UPHC from the community hall since 2017. Prior to shifting the UPHC to the community hall, the Corporation had housed it in a rented building in Balasundaram Layout.
At the time of shifting the UPHC, the Corporation had ₹40 lakh on hand to construct a new building, one with rooms for delivery, doctors, staff nurses, laboratories, etc. The Central government had given the money to the Corporation under the National Urban Health Mission for constructing or upgrading buildings for UPHCs.
The Corporation sources said the civic body had to return the money to the government because it could not find in time a land suitable for the Neelikonampalayam UPHC.
After having returned the money and housed the UPHC in the community hall, the Corporation is now trying to find a land for constructing a new building. The sources said the size of community hall and facilities available at there necessitated a new building.
At the time of shifting the UPHC to the community hall, the Corporation had spent around ₹6 lakh on building temporary partitions to establish doctor’s room, staff nurses’ room, etc. But all the rooms were so small that they proved to be inadequate for day-to-day functioning, the sources said.
There was no room to house the laboratory, no labour ward or a well-equipped medicine storage and distribution room.
In the absence of the labour ward, the Corporation staff of the UPHC were diverting pregnant women for delivery to either Singanallur or Uppilipalayam UPHC.
The proposed building that the Corporation had planned for the Neelikonampalayam UPHC should be well-equipped to house two doctors, staff nurses, a room for ante natal care, another for post natal care, an exclusive room for laboratory, etc, the sources averred.
Corporation Commissioner Raja Gopal Sunkara who inspected the UPHC at the community hall had instructed the East Zone officials to scout for adequate land or explore the possibility of constructing a new building after demolishing the community hall.
Neelikonampalayam resident V. Sasikumar said the Corporation would do well to demolish the community hall to house the UPHC at the very place because the current location was easily accessible. Shifting the UPHC would only inconvenience the 45,000-odd residents of Ward 58 and 59.
