TIRUNELVELI
Palayamkottai MLA M. Abdul Wahab laid the foundation stone for the urban health and wellness centre at Pettai Shastri Nagar on Wednesday.
Mayor P.M. Saravanan and his Deputy K.R. Raju were present.
Like the mini urban primary health centres, these wellness centres attached to the UPHCs are to be established in various parts of the corporation to treat patients for minor ailments, give counselling for tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse, provide space for practising yoga, undergoing physiotherapy etc. In other words, the health and wellness centres were introduced in the place of the previous AIADMK regim’s mini clinics.
Each health and wellness centre is being established on an outlay of Rs. 13 to 17 lakh, which is being funded by the National Health Mission. Moreover, these centres will have online consultation facility as the staff posted there will be provided with laptops.
As the State Government announced that 708 centres would be set up across 21 corporations, including Chennai, and 63 municipalities at a cost of Rs 180.45 crore, steps have been taken to establish 18 health and wellness centres in Tirunelveli Corporation. Even though the corporation has planned to create 18 wellness centres in all four zones of the urban local body, some of the newly elected councillors have reportedly become obstacles for these centres.
“As a councillor wanted me to meet him before starting construction of the wellness centre, I met him. But I could not meet his ‘demand’ so that the work has been abandoned as of now,” said one of the contractors, who has bagged the tender for constructing the wellness centres.
Since some of the councillors have become obstacles for establishing the health and wellness centre, it is reliably learnt that the Corporation has sent a ‘complaint’ to the government naming the ‘obstacles’ standing in between the wellness centres and the contractors from constructing them.
“We expect stern warning from the government or the ruling party… Once the obstacles are removed, we’ll start the work on the wellness centres in full-swing,” said a corporation official.
